The Impossible Child
by ElizabethSciuto
Summary: When The Doctor meets a little girl in the streets of 51st century London he quickly discovers who she is and begins an adventure that he never imagined having. River/Eleven. Semi-AU. Potential Spoilers Through "The Name of The Doctor"
1. The Impossible Child

"Clara!" The Doctor called out as he danced around the console room. He waited several moments before moving to the entrance to the hallway her room was in and calling down it once again. "Clara!" He tried once again to gain his companion's attention.

"What?" Clara asked tiredly as she walked into the console room with her hair in a messy ponytail and dressed in a nightgown.

"We're going on an adventure." The Doctor informed her importantly as he pulled several levers on the console causing the TARDIS to drastically shift to the left.

"What? Are you mad?" Clara asked as she gripped tightly to the bars surrounding the console. "It is three in the morning. I was asleep!"

"But we haven't been on an adventure since Tuesday!" The Doctor whined as he hit several more buttons on the console. "Besides I've been meaning to take you to 51st century London."

"Perhaps I don't want to go to 51st century London." Clara replied as she sat down in the jump seat. "Maybe I would much rather go home and have a quiet day with Angie and Artie?"

"No you don't." The Doctor replied, very sure of himself. "Now c'mon. Go get dressed. Unless you'd like to visit only the most magnificent Era England has ever seen in your pajamas."

"Fine." Clara replied. "But I expect shopping. And good shopping."

"Oh I promise it will not disappoint." The Doctor assured her. "We're landing in ten minutes."

Clara rolled her eyes before heading back to her room to get dressed.

* * *

The Doctor and Clara were making their way excitedly through a shopping market.

"Try this." The Doctor insisted as he handed her a wrapped up candy bar.

"What is it?" Clara asked, noting the entirely white wrapping around it, not indicating anything about flavor or contents.

"You'll like it. Trust me." The Doctor replied as he flashed his psychic paper to a merchant as he purchased many of these bars.

"What do they taste like?" She asked as she unwrapped the bar.

"Just taste it." The Doctor insisted as he shoved a ridiculous number of the bars into his coat pockets.

"How are those all even going in there?" Clara asked as she watched them simply disappear.

"Bigger on the inside… Now just taste it!" The Doctor Insisted.

Clara bit her lip for a moment before taking a small bite of the bar. Her eyes widened in surprise. "That's my mum's soufflé?" She asked in surprise.

"Doesn't surprise me." The Doctor replied as he walked toward the next stand.

"How does this taste like my mum's soufflé?" She asked as she ran after him. The Doctor simply began browsing through what that stand had to offer. "DOCTOR!" She insisted angrily as she shoved the bar into her jacket pocket and grabbed onto his arm. "How does it taste like my mum's soufflé?"

"Well it's a favorite's bar. It automatically becomes flavored like the food the person consuming it favors the most. For example mine sometimes tastes like jelly babies, or jammie dodgers, and occasionally fish custard." He explained as he looked at some books on the bottom shelf of a bookcase.

Clara nodded in surprise before pulling the bar out and taking another bite. "So you keep these stocked in the TARDIS, yes?"

"Of course. How do you think I keep the smell of fish custard out of the kitchen when Professor Song is on board?" The Doctor said with a smirk.

"Professor Song… I don't know anything about them." Clara said as she furrowed her eyebrow. "You talk about them an awful lot considering the fact that I don't know anything…"

The Doctor put his finger to her lips to quiet her. "I have a lot of people who I knew, and I know, that you don't know anything about. Professor Song isn't really of any interest to you."

Clara sighed. The Doctor was always very secretive about his past. "Well what else are we going to do?"

"We should go visit the art museum. You may see some people you know in there." The Doctor suggested.

Clara nodded in approval before they were quickly making their way out of the market and onto a main road.

"Bus or Taxi?" The Doctor asked as he surveyed their possible methods of transportation. However, he hadn't noticed that Clara's attention had been diverted to something else. "I'm thinking Bus, you can always meet incredibly interesting people on the bus." That's when he turned around and noticed that Clara had started walking briskly away from the museum. "Clara that's not the right way!" The Doctor tried to call after her. "Clara!"

However Clara had her eyes set on a small girl with curly brown hair who was clearly running from something she was frightened of. "Excuse me?" Clara tried gently to get the little girl's attention. "Are you alright?" But the girl just kept running before she turned around a corner into an alley.

"Hey…" Clara said gently as she caught up to her and leaned down to her level. "Are you running from someone?" She asked her gently. The little girl nodded, clearly terrified.

"Clara where are you…?" The Doctor called before he saw Clara in the alley. "Who's this?"

"I'm not sure." Clara replied. "Who are you running from?" She asked the little girl gently. The girl shrugged. "Do you know their name?" The little girl shook her head. "Do you know why they're chasing you?" Clara tried again, this time the girl nodded furiously. "Can you tell me?" Clara asked her as she gently held her hands.

The little girl's voice vocalized quietly. "I have two hearts." She said softly.

The Doctor's eyes widened beyond belief. "You have…?" He said feeling dumfounded. "This is very important, were you born with two hearts or is this some sort of medicine?"

"I was born with two." She replied, feeling incredibly scared, and confused by the Doctor's insistent questioning.

"Alright what's your name?" The Doctor asked her, his hair flopping in front of his face as he knelt down to her level.

"Jessica." She replied timidly.

"Alright Jessica, I need you to trust me. Can you do that for me?" The Doctor asked her carefully.

Jessica nodded.

"Alright then, we're going to go to my house alright?" He said, ensuring that she wouldn't back out of their agreement.

Jessica nodded once again.

"Doctor…" Clara began to question him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Do you know what it means if you're born with two hearts?" The Doctor asked as he took one of Jessica's hands, and Clara remained holding onto the other. They were briskly walking through the streets of London on their way back to the TARDIS.

"No." Clara replied, clearly annoyed by his antics.

"You would think that there are many species that have two hearts when they're born. You would think that based on the genetic makeups of all the species that surround the universe there would be more than one that resulted with two hearts at birth, but there isn't. That's just it Clara. Only one species has two hearts when they're born. And I'm the only person left in that species. She's… she's… impossible." The Doctor said awkwardly as he looked over at two girls who he simply couldn't begin to understand.

"I thought I was impossible." Clara replied as they neared the parking spot of the TARDIS.

"You are." The Doctor replied with a smirk as he snapped his fingers to open the doors of the TARDIS.

The three of them boarded the TARDIS and the Doctor quickly set it into flight, with no particular destination selected so that the TARDIS would simply enter the time vortex.

"Doctor we just took a child." Clara said awkwardly as she realized the heft of the situation.

The Doctor nodded as he pulled his screwdriver from his pocket. "Miss Jessica may I run a few scans on you?" He asked her gently.

Jessica looked up at him apprehensively.

"I promise they won't hurt. I bet the TARDIS could even get you a treat if you can get through them." The Doctor said as he knelt down to her level.

Jessica nodded in agreement before the Doctor helped her into the jump seat. After several moments The Doctor stared at the monitor on the console in confusion. "You only have… She's almost entirely… But how is that even possible…Jessica… Jessica what?" He mumbled to himself before turning to Jessica.

"Jessica do you know your last name?" The Doctor asked her, his tone informing her of how important her answer was.

Jessica nodded as she replied. "Jessica Williams."

The Doctor tried to follow everyone he knew but he wasn't making any connections. "What about your mum or dad's names? Do you know them?"

Jessica shook her head that time. "I live with my grandparents." She informed him importantly.

"Do you know your grandma or grandpa's names?" The Doctor was trying desperately for some more information about this impossible girl.

Jessica nodded. "I'm not supposed to tell if someone asks me."

The Doctor sighed in frustration. "Jessica I understand. But this is very, very important." He told her as he gently took her hands in his. "I need to know who your family is. I need to figure out where you started."

"Amy and Rory." Jessica said quietly.

The Doctor looked up at her in confusion before it clicked. "Amy and Rory Williams?" He asked, eyes wide. "Are they living in 51st Century England?" He asked.

Jessica nodded again.

"Where?" The Doctor insisted again.

"Leadworth." Jessica said, beginning to feel frightened.

"We have to go back." The Doctor said immediately.

Clara looked at him with disbelief. "We can't just… If she's a Time Lord?" Clara asked, confusion clear in her voice.

"Amy and Rory are… very, very close to me." The Doctor said as he began to fly the TARDIS while Clara comforted a now very scared Jessica. "And they shouldn't be able to be in 51st Century England. It's not possible for them to be there."

"Are you telling me this whole girl's life is impossible?" Clara asked as she gently ran her fingers through the tight curls on her head.

"YES!" The Doctor shouted. "How hard can that be for you to understand?! She's not… possible."

It was then that Jessica looked up at him, her piercing green eyes staring up at him. "You're my Dad." She said without questioning herself.

The Doctor shook his head. "No… I'm not. That's not possible."

Jessica nodded insistently. "I've seen pictures of you around my grandma's house. You're my Dad."

"How old are you Jessica?" He asked her insistently.

"I'm nine in this body." She replied without hesitation.

The Doctor looked at her, entirely in shock. "How many bodies have you had?"

"Just two." Jessica replied. "Grandma says that both my mum and dad have had more than one body. My mum has had three, but my dad has had eleven."

The Doctor shook his head in disbelief as he landed the TARDIS and began to make connections.

"Doctor…" Clara began warningly.

The Doctor shook his head. "Clara… I can't take you with us."

Clara looked up at him in disbelief. "What do you want me to just wait in the TARDIS?"

The Doctor nodded. "I promise I'll be back by the morning, but I have to go."

"Who is she?" Clara insisted.

The Doctor gently picked up the little girl who quickly made herself comfortable in his arms, burying her curls into his shoulder. "She's Professor Song's and my daughter." He said before opening the TARDIS doors and leaving Clara dumfounded inside.

_**Author's Note: Well… I definitely sat around in class and wrote this all day… Because I'm cool like that. I really hope that you enjoyed it. Please review! And stay tuned for more!**_


	2. Jessica Amelia Williams

The Doctor tapped rapidly on the door of the Pond's home. It was in the exact same location as their house had been in 21st Century Leadworth, and still had a very brightly painted TARDIS blue door. It took several moments before Rory opened the door and began to speak without even looking up.

"I'm sorry now's not a good time I'm sure whatever you're selling is…" He began before the Doctor coughed, causing him to look up and see the Doctor standing there with his granddaughter in his arms. "AMY!" He called back into the house.

"I told you not to…" Amy began to lecture him as she ran down the stairs, but she stopped when she reached the landing in the foyer and was face to face with her best friend. "Doctor…" She breathed lightly as she took in everything. Her granddaughter being handed over to Rory and the Doctor opening his arms and asking for permission to hug her.

As soon as Amy heard Rory's clearly happy "Permission granted." She ran into his arms and pulled him close. "How are you here?" She asked him, entirely shocked by the situation.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her. "I can very easily ask you the same question." He replied as his gaze fixated on Jessica interacting with Rory. "How is she even…?" He asked awkwardly as he watched her eyes light up with joy at finally being hope again. "No I take that back… How come she was in the streets of London, running?"

"Look… Doctor… I can't tell you… Like ridiculous amounts of spoilers are at stake here if I explain what's going on to you." Amy said sheepishly as she sat down on the floor next to Jessica and Rory.

"I've already figured out she's River's and mine." The Doctor said quietly as he joined everyone on the floor. "And she told me she's regenerated… Why has my daughter regenerated?" He asked suddenly angry.

"Look… She was really little. She doesn't really remember it that much."

"How old was she?" The Doctor asked, his voice threaded with pain and anguish.

"She was seven." Amy replied, knowing that if she lied he would eventually find out the truth.

The Doctor looked at her, fury lighting his eyes. "You were in charge of my daughter and she _regenerated_ and she was only _seven_?" He asked her angrily.

"It wasn't our fault Doctor." Rory piped up from where he had Jessica in his lap reading _Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone_. "We can't tell you what happened because that's all in your future. The only things we can tell you are the things River told us to tell you if you found out about Jessica."

"Which are?" The Doctor asked expectantly.

"Jessica Amelia Williams is your daughter. She has the surname that she does so that she can live with us, without there being any questions asked. River has been working incredibly hard to ensure that no one can trace her back to you, however… We've run into a bit of a snag with that one…" Rory said, calmly until he reached the end of his explanation.

"What kind of snag?" The Doctor asked impatiently.

Rory bit his lip awkwardly. "Jessica had a bit of a fall at school and she broke her arm. Her teacher of course sent her to the hospital, and they ran some tests and discovered she has two hearts."

The Doctor looked at him angrily. "You know she can't just be taken to a regular Earth doctor. Not even in the 51st Century are there doctor's that know how to care for a Time Lord."

"We know that" Amy replied, feeling protective of her granddaughter. "Things are getting out of hand very quickly and it's not helping that you've shown up and parked that ridiculous blue box out in our yard. I promise you we're doing the best we can to protect your daughter, but they're going to find you and her if you stay here."

"You can't just kick me out…" The Doctor began to argue.

Amy shook her head sadly, knowing that this was the only option. "Look I don't want to keep you from your daughter, but you need to go."

"Then let her come with me." The Doctor said suddenly, something Amy had not been prepared for him to suggest.

Amy bit her lip. "I can't. You'd kill me." She replied awkwardly.

"Why would I possibly get angry at you for letting me spend time with my daughter?" The Doctor asked. Confused and frusterated by the situation he was in.

"Because this is all your future Doctor. If Jessica isn't here when you come to see her next because she's off flying in the TARDIS…"Amy began to explain.

"Or what if River comes to see her?" Rory pointed out. "This whole situation is way more complicated then you can understand right now."

"She's my daughter." The Doctor said angrily. "Based on what Jessica's said, she hasn't seen River or I enough to know who we are. Why are you so concerned about one of us coming to see her?"

"Because you do come to see her… She just… She can't remember." Amy said quietly, realizing that she could be giving potential spoilers.

"What do you mean she can't remember?" The Doctor asked suspiciously.

Amy bit her lip. "As a safety precaution until Jessica's old enough to understand how important the secrets of the Time Lords are… River and you have been mentally blocking the memories from her when you leave."

"So you're saying you're just raising her with so many secrets about herself?" The Doctor asked angrily. "She's my daughter Amy. You know exactly how it feels. To have a daughter one moment and then her being taken from you the next."

It was then that Rory lost his temper. He stood and punched him in the nose. "Don't you dare… Compare this situation to what happened to River." He said angrily before picking up Jessica. "You don't understand what we've gone through to give Jessica a safe life."

"Rory!" Amy exclaimed as she felt torn between the two of them. She understood the pain that the Doctor must be feeling, but also knowing that Rory was right, there was so much he didn't know, and that they couldn't tell him.

It was then that there was a timid knock at the door.

Rory and the Doctor froze their argument and Rory's grip on Jessica loosened substantially. Amy quickly ran her fingers through her hair before going to answer the door.

"I'm sorry." Clara's voice rang through the doorway. "Is… is The Doctor here?"

"I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about." Amy lied on reflex as she began to close the door.

The Doctor quickly made his way into the foyer. "It's fine." He said quickly as he ushered Clara inside quickly. "She's my current companion."

"I'm Clara. Clara Oswald." Clara said as she stuck her hand out to greet Amy.

"Amy." Amy said shortly as she awkwardly shook Clara's hand.

The Doctor sighed as he sat down on the couch. "You can't just expect me to go on knowing that I have a daughter that's in danger here without doing something about it?" He asked exasperatedly.

Clara looked around the room in confusion. "I'm sorry Doctor… But you said Professor Song… You never mentioned much about them… But I'm assuming they're a woman?"

Amy looked at him in disbelief. "You're unbelievable." She said angrily as she ran up the stairs.

"You didn't tell her you were married?" Rory asked in disbelief as he shook his head.

Clara's eyes widened. "She's your wife then?"

It was then that Amy came back down the stairs, clearly furious. She shoved a yellowing envelope into the Doctor's hands before she looked up at him. "Block her memory of this… And leave." She insisted.

"What's this?" The Doctor asked as he began to try to look at the envelope.

"It doesn't matter. Jessica can't remember you, so please… Just block her memory of today." Amy was practically begging him. "Please." She whimpered.

The Doctor nodded as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I've put you into the situation." He said honestly before he moved over and sat on the floor across from Jessica. "Alright Jessica, I'm sorry but I need to block your memory of today alright?"

"I don't want to forget you…" Jessica said as she looked up at him sadly.

"Jessica it's important for your safety that people can't trace me through you." The Doctor told her quietly. "I'm sorry." He said before placing his forehead gently to hers.

He hadn't been mentally connected to anyone other than river in almost a thousand years and it took him a moment to get his thoughts situated so that he could properly block her memories of that day. He worked his way mentally through the circuits of his daughter's brain until he found the memories from that day. He quickly began severing the connections and successfully blocked off all memory of him or any of the events of the day. Gently he pulled his forehead away from her and he put his arms around her shoulders to ensure that she wouldn't hit her head when the connection was broken. The severing of the connections in the mind often leads to temporary unconsciousness and he was more than prepared to ensure her safety when he finished.

"I'm sorry." Amy said with tears running down her face as she handed him the envelope which he had set down on the coffee table. "You have to go."

The Doctor nodded. "Come on Clara." He said as he angrily made his way into the foyer.

"Doctor…" Clara said as she walked quickly after him. "She's your daughter… You can't just…"

"I have to." The Doctor said solemnly before he opened the front door and briskly made his way to the TARDIS.

Moments later Clara came aboard and closed the door behind her. As soon as the doors were closed the TARDIS jolted into flight. "Doctor…" Clara tried to talk to him, but he just briskly walked around the console putting it into the vortex. "Doctor I know you've got a huge past, but stuff like that is important."

The Doctor shook his head. "I can't tell you about every important person that's ever been a part of my life."

Clara noticed the envelope Amy had handed him sitting on the floor of the console. "Doctor perhaps you should open this?" she suggested as she handed him the envelope.

The Doctor took the envelope from her and he read the writing on the front. It simply said _Doctor_ but his name was clearly written in River's intricate handwriting. He quickly opened the seal on the back of the envelope and pulled out the letter. He sat down in the jump seat and began to read.

_My Dearest Doctor,_

_ If you're reading this it means you've found out about Jessica too early in your time stream. Her name is Jessica Amelia Williams. She's your daughter. She was born in Amy and Rory's flat at 4:22 in the morning March 7__th__ 1937. Please don't panic. We are doing the best that we can to keep our daughter safe despite the circumstances her life is surrounding. If you wish to visit her, I would never try to prevent you. I understand that she's incredibly captivating. However I must ask that you don't question Amy and Rory. No matter what you cannot ask about what is going on. Jessica is an important part of our future and you can't know about what's going to happen. _

_ I promise you that you will find out everything eventually. But let it happen in its own time. I love you forever and always._

_-River Song_

The Doctor looked at the paper, feeling a huge conflict of emotions inside. "It's from River." Doctor said quietly to help ease Clara's curiosity. "I think I should take you back home for a bit Clara."

Clara shook her head. "Not unless you're staying with me." She insisted. "This is a lot for you to take in and you shouldn't do it alone."

The Doctor bit his lip before agreeing. "We'll stay with Angie and Artie for a few days while I try to figure all of this out." He finally stated before quickly sending the TARDIS into flight with the pull of a lever.

"Doctor…" Clara said quietly as the pain in his eyes attempted to turn to tears. "Do you need anything?"

He shook his head. "Of course not. I'm okay. I'm fine." He lied as he landed the TARDIS without much grace.

Clara knew inside that there was no way he was actually okay, but she also knew she shouldn't press the issue. So she resigned to following the Doctor as he put on a false face of enthusiasiam and rushed into the house.

"Angie! Artie!" The Doctor called excitedly as Clara followed behind with a small smile on her face.

_**Author's Note: I hope you're all enjoying this story. I'm trying to figure out how frequently to update this. However I'm horrible at keeping to schedules so the likeliness that that would even happen is fairly ridiculous. Either way, I'm so excited to be finally writing this story and I hope you all enjoy it. Please review!**_


	3. Encounters With River

Clara looked over worriedly at The Doctor. He was sitting on a park bench in 51st century London staring at the people as they walked by. They had been in London for a couple of weeks now and all the Doctor seemed to want to do was sit around.

"How about a trip to the market?" Clara suggested as she walked over from the sign she had been reading.

"You go." The Doctor said as he continued staring in front of him as he pulled some money out from his coat pocket and handed it to Clara.

"What if I get into trouble?" Clara asked as she crossed her arms across her front.

"You're in Urban 51st century London. Nothing's going to happen." The Doctor replied, still scanning the city.

Clara sighed as she sat down next to The Doctor. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Doctor you can't just sit here and wait for her forever." She pointed out gently.

"She's in trouble Clara." The Doctor replied seriously. "My daughter Clara. I have a daughter. I have protected hundreds of children throughout my life and suddenly when I find out I have one I can't do anything to protect them."

Clara looked over at him sympathetically. "I know… But you have to keep living your life. You know this is in your future… If you sit here forever that future can't even happen."

The Doctor was about to respond when he saw something entirely unexpected. He quickly jumped up off from the bench and began running.

"Doctor!" Clara replied exasperatedly.

However, the Doctor wasn't listening. He had seen someone he hadn't seen in far too long and he was convinced she would have some answers for him.

After nearly five minutes of running through traffic and generally trying to avoid being killed, Clara finally caught up with the Doctor in a coffee shop.

"Doctor you can't be here." A woman was saying to the Doctor as she pulled him behind her into a booth in the back of the shop.

Clara approached the booth and saw two things she hadn't noticed before. The woman was Professor Song, and a blonde little girl, that had definitely not been the same little girl from before was sitting on the other side of the booth.

"She's my daughter River!" The Doctor replied, a slight amount of anger hidden in his voice.

River sighed. "I know… I'm keeping her safe. But you haven't done this yet."

"How can you tell that?" The Doctor replied, angry that she seemed to have a huge upper hand in the situation.

River sighed. "I can't just tell you what sort of security measures we've set up to keep Jessica safe." She sounded exasperated.

The Doctor buried his face in his hands, slightly parting his fingers so he could look at his daughter. He automatically could tell this was a different regeneration, he assumed that it was probably her first based on the way she was behaving around him. It was highly likely that they had put created a much stricter protection system after she regenerated.

This Jessica had blonde, waist length, straight hair, and deep grey eyes. Her frame seemed a bit larger than the other regeneration's, and her face was similar but definitely had more defined features. She was currently wiping whipped cream off from her nose that had come from the hot chocolate she was sipping.

It was then that he noticed Clara had sat down next to her.

"Doctor…" Clara began, clearly confused by the situation.

The Doctor quickly shook his head knowing that she was about to ask a question that River could not hear. "Later." He insisted.

Clara pouted a bit before nodding and introducing herself to Jessica.

"Hello, I'm Clara." She said confidently.

Jessica looked over at her mother for permission to reply. River smiled gently and nodded. "I'm Jessica Amelia Williams." She replied with just as much confidence.

River looked over at The Doctor, trying to gauge his reaction to the situation. When he didn't have any sort of surprised reaction to her name, she knew that he needed to leave.

"Look… I don't know where you are in your timeline for sure Doctor." River said softly. "You need to go."

"Why is that all you ever have to say?" The Doctor asked angrily. "Amy and Rory said the same thing."

"How on Earth did you see Amy and Rory?" River asked, suddenly shocked.

"They've a house in New Leadworth…" The Doctor replied as if she should know this already.

River's eyes widened. "No… They live in New York… In 1930's New York." River replied. "You've done Manhattan because Clara's with you. You have to know that."

"Well that's what I thought… But they definitely…" That's when he realized, this River, didn't know that yet. "Oh…" He said awkwardly. "I should go." He said quickly as he stood up and grabbed Clara's arm.

"Bye Clara!" Jessica called after them as they ran out of the shop.

The Doctor didn't stop running until they were safely inside the TARDIS.

"What just happened?" Clara asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

The Doctor didn't respond as he sent the TARDIS into flight.

"Doctor." Clara insisted again. "How was she Jessica? We just met Jessica, that was a completely different little girl."

"That was I believe, her first generation." The Doctor replied as he pulled a lever that threw Clara up against the railings.

"What do you mean generation?" Clara asked, not understanding what he was saying.

"Like, I have eleven versions of myself." The Doctor said as he pulled over the monitor which was now displaying all eleven of his regenerations.

"What?" Clara asked. "Are you telling me that's you? Eleven different times?"

"Yes." The Doctor replied as he continued to fly the TARDIS.

"Well… What makes you replace your old self, with a new self?" Clara asked as she looked carefully at all of the pictures.

"Regeneration." The Doctor replied vaguely. Clara raised her eyebrows at him, indicating that that wasn't exactly an acceptable answer. The Doctor sighed. "A Time Lord regenerates when they die." He said honestly.

"So you're saying she died?" Clara asked, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

The Doctor simply nodded.

"Are you alright Doctor?" Clara asked several minutes later.

"I'm always alright Clara." The Doctor replied, his tone of voice signaling that he really wasn't alright.

Clara nodded before she ducked out of the console room and headed to most likely the library.

The Doctor sighed as he placed his elbows on the console and buried his face into his hands. He sat there for several moments before the TARDIS began humming in an effort to comfort him. "I just don't know what to do with myself." He admitted out loud as he stood up. "I don't know how far into my future this is going to happen, and I can't just act like I don't know she exists. She's my daughter. If I can prevent her from regenerating then I should do that shouldn't I?" The TARDIS began trembling slightly. "What do you mean I shouldn't do that? You have no idea how much pain a Time Lord goes through during regeneration! If I could prevent that from happening to my daughter don't you think I should do that?!"

Unbeknownst to The Doctor Clara had returned to the console room, and she had heard the crack in his voice had had been the breaking point for his emotions. She gently came up behind him and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry Doctor." Clara said quietly.

The Doctor spun around. "I'm sorry Clara. You shouldn't have seen that." He said as he quickly recomposed himself.

"Doctor it's okay not to be okay with this…" Clara said softly. "You care about children, it makes sense that your own child being in danger would cause an insurmountable amount of pain for you."

The Doctor shrugged.

"Maybe you should… Go see a younger Professor Song…" Clara suggested awkwardly.

The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Why?" He asked, his voice verging on angry.

"Well she is your wife." Clara pointed out. "If you saw a version of her that doesn't know about Jessica yet you could go and just…"

"Are you suggesting what I believe you are suggesting Clara Oswald?" The Doctor asked, his expression showing he was clearly amused.

"She makes you happy Doctor." Clara said honestly. "When you're with her, you're happy."

The Doctor smiled and nodded. "Do you mind if I drop you off in Chiswick for a bit?"

"Well I do have to actually show up there for a few days every once in a while to take care of those kids I'm supposedly in charge of." Clara replied with a smirk.

"Then we have a plan." The Doctor said, his mouth forming a wide smile but his eyes showing an abnormal amount of pain.

"I suppose we do." Clara said, putting a smile on her face as well.

* * *

River was lying down on her stomach on her bed in Stormcage. While she wasn't particularly enthralled about any of the accommodations she was given in the prison, she wasn't about to complain about the library she was given access to. She was flipping through a book on an archeology dig that had been done in the 1930s in South Africa. She found the commentary interesting if not a bit entertaining. The ability to ascertain what certain things found in the digs meant had changed drastically over the years.

She was becoming hungry and was thinking about requesting a meal when she heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing. She looked up with a smile on her face as she saw the blue box appear out in the hallway in front of her cell.

She quickly got up and took her hair out of the tight ponytail it had been in to keep it out of her eyes while reading. She had just assumed a standing position, with her arms crossed across her torso. As soon as The Doctor opened the door of the TARDIS her stern disposition was broken and her mouth turned up into a smile. "Hello sweetie." She said as she watched him quickly sonic the lock on her cell door.

"You would think they'd change your door to wood." The Doctor said with a smirk as he pushed the door open.

"Where are we going?" River asked as she quickly grabbed her journal from underneath her mattress.

"Wherever and whenever you'd like." The Doctor replied with a smile as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the TARDIS.

"So where are you?" The Doctor asked as he quickly put the TARDIS into flight to avoid any sort of encounter with the Stormcage guards. They don't seem to like him very much.

River's mouth formed an immediate smirk. "You're so sure you're further than I am are you?"

"I'm positive this time River." The Doctor replied, hoping that he hadn't caught her too early in her time stream.

"Well I've just come from The Pandorica." River replied.

"Oh I'm much further than you." The Doctor replied as he moved over to wrap his arms around her, now sure that she knew they were married. "How are you, Mrs. Song?"

"I've been better Mr. Doctor." She replied before pressing her lips gently to his.

"I hope it's nothing I've done to cause this sense of uncertainty." The Doctor said as he gently ran his fingers through her curls.

"You didn't know… At Pandorica." She said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know… I'm sorry." The Doctor replied gently. "If it makes you feel any better there are points where I know more than you."

River smirked. "I know… you have been incredibly awkward in those situations Doctor." She replied, reminding him that she had already lived through those moments.

The Doctor smiled as he pressed his lips into her hair. "You have never been particularly subtle yourself." He said with a smirk. "Now where do you want to go?" He asked, his face lighting up with excitement.

River grabbed the monitor and checked to see where they were. After pressing a few buttons, and turning off the brakes she sent the TARDIS into flight. "Five minutes." She informed him before walking into the TARDIS.

Five minutes later River returned to the console room. She had changed out of her prison uniform and into her favorite pair of jeans and a TARDIS blue blouse. She was also carrying a bag of jelly babies and a package of jammie dodgers.

"Where are we going?" The Doctor asked inquisitively as River pressed a couple of buttons on the console and pulled the brakes lever on. She then proceeded to open the door to the TARDIS, revealing that they were in orbit around Earth, about ten miles or so away from the atmosphere. She sat down with her feet hanging out of the TARDIS and she motioned for him to join her.

The Doctor smiled at her before sitting down next to her. "Sometimes you amaze me River Song." He said happily as he took the jammie dodger she offered him.

"Well I do try." She said with a smirk before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Can we just stay here forever?" She asked after several moments of silence.

"You do have a prison sentence to finish." The Doctor reminded her with a smirk.

"For killing you." She reminded him. "You don't look very dead if you ask me."

"You could always fix that if you wanted to." He pointed out.

"Don't tempt me." She teased.

They sat in silence for a few moments before The Doctor spoke again. "I wish we could."

"We could what?" River asked as she ripped open the bag of jelly babies.

"Stay here forever. Just me and you." He replied.

"Well let's enjoy it while it lasts." She replied as he pressed his lips up to hers.

"I will always enjoy my time with you River Song." He assured her after breaking the kiss. "No matter what."

"And I you Doctor." River replied before adjusting so that she was laying with her head resting on his lap.

And that's where they stayed for the rest of the night.

_**Author's Note: I hope you're still enjoying the story! I would love some feedback, even though I realize a lot hasn't happened yet. I just have so much I want to try to fit into this story so we'll see how things go! Thanks so much for reading!**_


	4. Scientific Breakthrough

(I did put this in the story description but this is just an added warning. This chapter is going talk somewhat about what happened in _The Name of The Doctor_ so if you haven't seen it yet and don't want spoilers then you shouldn't read this chapter. Anyway… On with the story!)

"How could she be post library Clara?!" The Doctor asked angrily as he threw the TARIDS into flight.

"Okay you need to calm down." Clara said as she crossed her arms across her chest and sat down in the jump seat. "How is that what you're most focused on?"

"What do you mean how?" The Doctor asked angrily as he pulled several of the levers simultaneously.

"I mean you jumped into your own time stream to save me!" Clara replied. "That didn't bother you as much as the fact that your wife that you've known died was dead?" She asked with disbelief, feeling a bit ignored.

"No Clara, that's not the problem." The Doctor replied angrily.

Clara placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Then what's the problem?" She asked him gently.

That was just enough for him to snap. He angrily grabbed onto Clara's wrist. "You will never… understand… what I went through at Trenzalore." He said angrily before letting go of her wrist and running out of the console room.

"Doctor!" Clara cried as she ran after him.

When she caught up with him he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, his face buried in his hands.

"Hey." She said gently as she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…"

The Doctor shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong Clara." He said quietly.

They sat in silence for about fifteen minutes before The Doctor spoke again.

"She didn't know… Who Jessica is…" He said quietly.

Clara looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock. "How could she…"

"Not know who our daughter is!" The Doctor finished angrily. "She's dead… And she has no idea who Jessica even is! I asked her if Jessica was safe and she looked at me like I was crazy and told me she hadn't met any companions named Jessica." He angrily stood up and headed down the hallway.

"Doctor!" Clara called after him as she once again attempted to follow him. She had been running after him for nearly an hour before she found him in a storage room. "Doctor… You can't just run from this forever…" She said, clearly out of breath.

"Clara… If River didn't have Jessica before the Library… She has to somehow get downloaded from the data core." The Doctor mused as he shuffled through boxes.

After twenty minutes of aimless searching Clara finally called out. "What are we even looking for?" She asked, sounding frustrated.

"Something." The Doctor replied as he opened up yet another box and began going through its contents.

"Wow, that is so specific. It should take no time at all to find that." Clara replied sarcastically.

"I need something to download River's consciousness onto." The Doctor said after a few minutes.

"You want to download your wife?" Clara replied, unsure of how exactly one goes around downloading people.

"She's uploaded to CAL, the Library's data core. I saved her there after she sacrificed herself to save me." The Doctor explained quickly.

"And when exactly was this?" Clara asked, putting her hands on her hips.

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "Honestly it has been a long time… But it was the first time I met River." He said as if that were a perfectly normal thing to say.

Clara looked over at him, her face showing a mixture of emotions, the primary one being shock. "Doctor…"

"Just look for anything that we could download River onto." He cut her off.

They searched for hours before the Doctor sat down and buried his face in his hands.

"We just haven't figured it out yet." Clara said gently. "We will though. I promise."

The Doctor shook his head. "I just… How do I download her?"

"Why do you have to figure this out now?" Clara asked him cautiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he watched her as she sat down next to him.

Clara shrugged. "Well you usually let things happen in their own time Doctor… You've never been trying to actively to solve a problem like this…"

The Doctor looked down at his feet. "I lost all of them Clara. The day her parents died was the last time I had seen River before this week…"

"Wait her parents are dead too?" Clara asked suspiciously.

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "Technically I didn't watch them die… But they were sent back in time to a place too complicated for me to visit… At this point in your earth time they've died of old age."

"How is Jessica even…" Clara began to ask before the Doctor stood up with newfound vigor.

"That is what I'm talking about! She is a mystery, more of a mystery than you've been!" The Doctor exclaimed. "And she's my daughter."

"I'll try to take that as a compliment." Clara smirked.

They began to look around again, still not coming up with much.

"Doctor is this jam?" Clara asked as she held up a jar filled with a gel-like red substance.

He looked around the shelf he was behind to see what she was holding. "No that's unicorn blood." He replied without batting an eye.

Clara nearly dropped the container as she tried to put it back. "Why do you even have all of this stuff?"

"Because it might be important." The Doctor replied. "The TARDIS tends to get rid of things that I'm never going to use again, or occasionally things she dislikes, but anything she knows I need will still be around."

"What if you didn't keep what you need for this?" Clara asked, realizing that that had probably sounded worse than it was intended to.

"I keep everything." The Doctor replied. "Let's take a break for lunch."

* * *

The Doctor had landed the TARDIS in 51st Century London once again, this time in front of a pizzeria.

"Doctor stop trying to have run-ins with your wife." Clara teased him once she had figured out where they had landed.

The Doctor mimicked her as he nagged her before opening the door and getting them a table.

After they had ordered a pizza, half cheese for Clara and half with everything on it for The Doctor, they sat quietly.

"I swear if River and Jessica walk in here you'll never be able to convince me this is a coincidence." Clara teased him. When he didn't respond she nudged his leg with her foot. "Hey." She grabbed his attention. "Jessica exists, right?" She pointed out. "That means we're going to figure this out."

"Yes, but how?" The Doctor asked crankily. "I can't just wait for us to figure this out whenever it's convenient…"

Clara rolled her eyes. "Honestly you're a child yourself. Are you sure you're ready to be a father?"

"OF COURSE I'M NOT!" He replied angrily, and a lot louder than he had intended to. "Sorry." He apologized sheepishly.

Clara sighed. There was no way she could convince The Doctor to just wait and see how things played out so she figured she might as well find out what he knows. "Well you keep saying you need to download River Song. I'm assuming that means she was uploaded?"

"Of course I uploaded her with the sonic screwdriver I gave her…" The Doctor trailed off. "So theoretically I could re-download her conscience onto the sonic…" He began connecting the dots.

The waiter had just arrived at their table when The Doctor shot up and out of his chair, knocking the pizza onto the floor. He mumbled something that sounded like a 'I'm sorry' and he quickly placed enough money for the pizza as well as a large tip for the waiter he had just assaulted before running out of the restaurant.

"Doctor!" Clara called anxiously after him. "Sorry about that." Clara said before quickly running after him.

She finally caught up with The Doctor in the TARDIS, barely getting the door closed behind her as he threw the ship into flight. "What are you doing?!" She asked him, clearly exasperated as she held tightly onto the railing.

"I need River's DNA." Doctor replied simply. "I'm going to go get it from one of her past regenerations."

"Wouldn't that cause some sort of paradox?" Clara asked him, clearly confused by his plan.

"Not as much of a paradox as if I got it from River post-library." The Doctor said, just above a murmur. "However, there's always the possibility of her killing me… again…"

"I'm sorry _what_?" Clara asked as she listened to him talk to himself.

"Of course we could always have you get it from a regeneration… that's the least likely way for a paradox to happen. I'd have to drop you off across the city though, wouldn't want to risk Mels running into the TARDIS." He continued on, causing Clara to give up on getting his attention.

Clara sat down in the jump seat and pulled out her mobile to check for any messages.

"Clara!" The Doctor said in surprise as he turned around. "This is important!"

"You weren't answering my questions." Clara replied, not looking up from her phone.

"Clara!" He whined again.

Clara rolled her eyes before putting her phone back into the pocket of her skirt and standing up. "Alright what is it?"

"I need you to go get some DNA from a younger regeneration of River." The Doctor replied as he continued to fly the TARDIS to his desired destination.

"Why can't you do it?" Clara asked.

"Well… She's sort of going to be a psychopath that wants me dead… But its fine she's not dangerous." He tried to explain.

"I'm sorry… She wants you dead but she's not dangerous?" Clara asked, eyebrows raised. "I'm not following you…"

"Well she won't later… It's a long story I'd rather not explain right now, but she won't be dangerous to you." The Doctor promised. "All you need to know is not to mention me, and you're going to high school with Amy, Rory, and Mels."

"Mels?" Clara asked, trying not to focus too much on the prospect of being in high school again.

"River… But her name is Melody… Mels… She's Amy and Rory's best friend." He said as he handed her a picture of Mels.

"Wait, isn't she their daughter?" Clara asked as she examined a picture of Mels from the time she had been aboard the TARDIS, just before her last regeneration.

"Yes." The Doctor replied, not thinking anything of it. "Go to the med bay and get some cotton swabs, gloves, and plastic bags." He instructed.

"Why?" Clara asked, clearly confused.

"To collect Mels DNA." The Doctor replied, as if it were obvious.

Clara rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to do that?" She asked.

"With cotton swabs, gloves, and plastic bags… maybe a few vials wouldn't be such a bad idea…" He mumbled as he pulled a few levers on the TARDIS. "Alright we should get there in about ten minutes…"

"I'm still not sure what you want me to do…" Clara said with her hands on her hips.

The Doctor bit his lip awkwardly. "Basically… I need you to stalk my wife, before she was my wife, and get a substantial amount of DNA so that I can have her body reproduced so I can download her consciousness back into it." Clara looked at him, her facial expressions mixing between confused and appalled. "Clara… I'm begging you…" He said, suddenly feeling rather desperate.

Clara could sense the desperation in his voice. "Doctor…" She said gently as she moved so she was in front of him. She lifted up his chin so he was looking her in the eyes. "I'll do it." She promised him. "No matter what it takes, I'm going to help you save River."

The Doctor nodded, before blinking several times to expel the tears from his eyes. "Thank you." He whispered as he felt Clara's arms reach around him to give him a hug. "Thank you so much."

_**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, I had a huge change in plans that ended up with me moving earlier than I was expecting to. So I'm now moved, and writing again for the summer! Please review!**_


	5. Clara Jones

Amy Pond was sitting in history class, and she was incredibly bored. She knew how the class would go, they would talk about some sort of event that had happened in England's history and Mels would continue to either mumble about or inform the teacher that the reason the event happened was because of the Doctor.

It had been that way for years and Amy often questioned if Mels was just doing it to make fun of her or if she actually believed her. The teacher was droning on when the door to the classroom opened and a girl with brown hair plaited in one long dutch braid walked in, with a brown leather book bag on her shoulder.

Amy looked up with a piqued interest. She watched as the new girl handed a slip of paper to the teacher. The teacher read through the note quickly before folding it. "Alright Ms. James, there's an empty seat between Ms. Pond and Ms. Oliver." She instructed, pointing to the desk between Mels and Amy.

The girl nodded her head before moving to her seat. Amy eyed Mels as the girl sat between them. That had been where Rory sat before he moved classrooms a few weeks prior. After about five more minutes the girl looked over to Amy.

"I'm sorry… What page are we on?" She asked as she gestured to the textbook that was open on Amy's desk.

"One hundred and ninety-seven." Amy replied without looking up from the note she was writing to Mels.

After a piece of paper was passed between Amy and Mels several more times, and the teacher gave the class work time, Amy leaned over to the new girl. "So what's your name?"

"Clara." She replied immediately, trying to focus on the assignment that was just given to keep herself from looking too suspicious.

"Don't bother doing that." Mels informed her. "It's just reading, we'll have a quiz on it next week after we've talked about all of the concepts for days." She said as she closed Clara's book on her. "So Clara, what's the story."

Clara was delicately placing her book back into her book bag. "I'm a foster child." Clara said, sticking with the story her and The Doctor had decided on beforehand. They needed some sort of backstory that would explain several things, such as why Clara wouldn't want to hang out at her own home, and why she would just appear and disappear without much warning.

Mels looked at her, interest clearly gained. "Really? Who are your foster parents?"

Clara looked at her, surprised. "You don't… You don't know them."

"I'm sure I do, I'm in the foster system too." Mels replied

Clara looked upward and cursed The Doctor. How could he fail to mention something like that. While she was caught off guard she wasn't going to let it stop her. "Mr. and Mrs. Laningham." She said quickly. "They actually live just outside of town… They're an older couple, but they're very nice."

Amy and Mels exchanged glances. "How far out of town?" Mels asked after a moment.

"I'm not exactly sure… I took a cab here…" Clara said, assuming that playing confused would be beneficial.

"Harrow?" Mels asked hopefully. "I'm honestly just dying to get out of Leadworth. It doesn't have to be Harrow, just anywhere else."

Clara scratched behind her ear rapidly. "I don't know if that's such a great idea." She admitted awkwardly. "I would kind of like to not add any pressure to Mr. and Mrs. Laningham… I kind of was put there last minute and I don't know how long I'm staying. I'd like to see how things go before…"

"Come on!" Mels insisted eagerly.

Clara was becoming obviously more and more uncomfortable.

Amy shot Mels a look. "We can just get my mum to drive us into London or Harrow this weekend." She hissed at her.

Ultimately the number of people that even took the time to talk to Amy and her friends is an incredibly small number. And Amy felt sort of bad about how much Mels was harassing Clara. Plus, based on Clara's behavior she could tell that she was very insecure about what was going on. She felt bad for Clara and she didn't want Mels to make her feel any worse.

"Do you want to come over after school?" Amy offered. "My mum's probably made some pie."

"Plus then you can meet Rory." Mels said with a smirk toward Amy.

Amy blushed slightly but brushed it off. "Come on. Rory and I can catch you up on what we're learning in your classes." Amy said as she looked through Clara's class schedule. "I can help you with History and English and Rory can help you with Calculus and Advanced Physics."

"I can eat snacks while not doing any of my homework, ever." Mels said as she picked up her bag, which was definitely not full of books.

"Come on." Mels said as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. "Lunch." She said as Clara rapidly shoved her class schedule into her book bag.

"You can sit with us." Amy said gently as she softly placed a hand on Clara's shoulder. She could sense something was bothering her, but she of course didn't know what.

* * *

"So if you divide x by the square root of forty two and then you take the derivative you get your solution." Rory finished explaining to Clara as Amy and Mels flipped through magazines on Amy's bed.

Clara nodded before putting the last of her homework back in her bag. "Thanks." She said with a smile before moving over to join Amy and Mels. She sat down at the bottom of the bed while Rory spun around in Amy's desk chair to boot up her computer.

The four of them sat around and chatted for hours and it was nearing seven o'clock when Amy spoke up. "Mels are you staying over?" Amy asked as Rory began to gather his things to head home.

"What's for dinner?" Mels asked, not looking up from the magazine she was reading.

"I think mum's making Fish N' Chips." Amy replied as she lay face down on her bed, exhausted.

Clara perked up at the concept. "Do you mind if I stay for dinner?" She asked hopefully.

"You can stay over if you want." Amy replied. "Mels practically lives here. Mum and Dad are really relaxed about it."

Clara debated it. She thought about what it would take in order to get enough samples of Mels DNA and she knew she wouldn't do it without spending time with her.

"Sounds great." Clara said finally. "Can I use a phone to call my foster parents to let them know I'm not coming home?" She requested.

Amy nodded before handing her the phone from her nightstand.

Rory stood up and grabbed his bag. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Rory." Amy and Mels replied in unison as Clara followed Rory out in the hallway to make the phone call.

"Hello?" The Doctor replied through the receiver.

Clara grinned awkwardly as Mels and Amy entered the hallway. "Hey… Dad…"

"Oh this is good." The Doctor replied with a smirk. "So how's it going?"

"I got my homework done… But I'm going to spend tonight at my new friend's house. I really would like to spend more time with her." Clara said vaguely.

"So how much DNA have you got?" The Doctor asked her curiously.

"None." She replied sheepishly.

"Seriously?" The Doctor asked as he put his face into his hands. "Clara this is important."

"I know I probably don't have a lot of time here, I just want to enjoy it." Clara replied, clearly trying to get the message across.

"Alright, just… hurry…" The Doctor replied.

"Of Course." Clara replied before hanging up the phone.

"Wow that's longer than almost any conversation I've ever had with either of my foster parents and I've lived with them for almost ten years." Mels said as she examined her nails.

Clara shrugged as she handed Amy back the phone. "Thanks." She said quietly as she looked down at her feet.

"Dinner!" Amy's mother called up the stairs.

Mels immediately bounded down the stairs. Amy came back into the hall after returning the phone to her room. "Don't let Mels get to you." Amy said with a gentle smile. "She's just… very… she doesn't really censor herself."

"It's fine." Clara replied with a smile.

"AMELIA!" Her mother called up the stairs again.

"We should go…" Amy said before running down the stairs with Clara on her heels.

* * *

Three weeks later Amy, Rory, Mels, and Clara were sitting at a lunch table.

Mels was betting with Rory on how much soda she could drink in five minutes and Amy was thoroughly enjoying her sandwich. Clara however was just sitting, staring at her own sandwich. "Are you alright Clara?" Amy asked her with concern.

"Fine." Clara said softly. She started playing with the bun to her sandwich. Clara honestly was dreading this day for a long time. She had enough DNA for the replicator and she was going back to the TARDIS that night.

"No you're not." Amy insisted. "What's wrong? You spent last night at home. Did something bad happen?"

Clara bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Amy rolled her eyes before grabbing Clara by her wrist. She pulled her into the girls bathroom before she spoke again. "Alright, spill." Amy insisted.

"I'm moving." Clara said simply. She hated this. She always was too emotionally invested but this was a whole new level. She had gotten to know them on a personal level, for weeks.

"What?" Amy asked, her eyes wide. "Why? Can't you stay in Leadworth? There's other foster parents in Leadworth!"

Clara shook her head, her story already straightened out. "My real parents are taking me back."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Amy asked her gently as she gave her a hug.

Clara shook her head again as she pulled away from the hug. "Please don't tell Mels and Rory. Not yet. I'm horrible at saying good-byes."

"This can't be goodbye…" Amy said sadly. "Will I ever see you again?"

Clara smirked. "Probably not for a long time." She said honestly. "I'll miss you though." Clara assured her.

"Me too." Amy said honestly before pulling her into another hug. "I expect to see things from you Clara James."

Clara nodded. "We better get back to lunch before people get suspicious." She said before they headed back to the lunchroom.

"What was that about?" Rory asked Amy as the two of them sat back down.

"Female stuff." Amy replied smoothly as Clara tensed up.

Rory blushed slightly before turning back to Mels. "There is no way you're winning." He informed her as he cracked open a can of Pepsi. "Three… two… one…"

* * *

Clara was waiting on a street corner in downtown London, waiting for The Doctor. He was late… very late.

He was supposed to pick her up four hours earlier, and there was still no sign of him.

She waited another fifteen minutes before a familiar swooshing noise began and the TARDIS materialized around her.

"You are late." Clara informed him.

"Clara please." The Doctor begged as he reached out his hands.

"You are late." Clara repeated. "Almost five hours late. You're in a time machine!"

"Clara!" The Doctor insisted. "I've made an appointment to have the DNA reform the body but if I miss it we're going to be hard pressed to get another."

"_You have a time machine_!" Clara repeated.

"It's not exactly… a legal procedure… It's entirely safe, but it isn't very easy to find a doctor willing to do it."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Okay whatever it is that you need to do… Do it." Clara insisted. "I'm going to go sleep, I've missed my bed. Also after all of this I need to go back and watch the kids for a while." She informed him as she handed him the brown leather bag which contained several vials of saliva, blood, and hair.

"Thank you Clara Oswald." The Doctor said sincerely. "You have done a great and wonderful thing for me. I'll never be able to repay you for this."

"You could give me some more of those candy bars that taste like my mum's soufflé. That's a good place to start." Clara suggested.

The Doctor pulled one from his pocket and handed it to her. "I promise we'll stop to get more." He assured her.

"Thank you." She said with a smile before heading back into the hallway toward her bedroom.

"Alright…" The Doctor said quietly. "Let's do this."

_**Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter! I really hope that you're all enjoying this story so far! Please, please review! I'd love to get feedback. **_


	6. The Vashta Nerada

The Doctor was dancing around the console with extreme excitement.

Clara looked up at him from the book she was reading. "Doctor you know the TARDIS isn't going to get us there any faster if you keep messing with her." She reminded him as she raised her eyebrows while he pulled several levers.

"It's a complicated period in time and space… I'm just trying to make sure that we get there." The Doctor replied, rolling his eyes at her.

"We're going to get there fine." She told him for the millionth time. "You've triple checked the coordinates and we're going to land in ten minutes. Just calm down."

The Doctor sighed. "I am calm." He replied with a smirk. "I'm just… excited…" He admitted.

Clara smiled, she was honestly happy for him. She knew River made him happy, but she also knew that with River back The Doctor wouldn't need her to go on adventures with him anymore. She hadn't thought about what it would be like to go back to nannying full time, and she knew she didn't want to.

"Are you alright Clara?" The Doctor asked, noticing her zoned out expression.

"Fine." She replied with a smile. "Do you have everything ready?" She asked him as an attempt to distract him.

The Doctor nodded eagerly. "The DNA replicate is hooked up to the consciousness transfer machine. I've got the TARDIS console wired so that when I hook up the sonic it will transfer River back through the machine and…"

"Yeah… I know Doctor." Clara replied with a smirk.

It was then that the TARDIS abruptly landed. The Doctor quickly pulled the brakes and checked the scanner to make sure that they had landed in the right place. "Alright, exactly two years later. Clara Oswald are you ready to save the most beautiful woman in the universe?"

"I'm going to not take that as an insult to myself and say that I am." Clara replied with a laugh. "Come on you idiot let's go." She said as he grabbed the sonic screwdriver with the consciousness transfer chip embedded into it.

The Doctor quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her from going out of the TARDIS. "Clara, you need to know something about The Library." He told her importantly.

"What is it full of some sort of creature that's going to try to eat me or something?" Clara asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes." The Doctor replied immediately.

Clara glared at him.

"I'm not making it up." The Doctor replied indignantly. "There's a species there called the Vashta Nerada."

"That means alive shadows…" Clara translated the name quickly. "How can shadows be carnivorous?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Clara you've seen thousands of things around the universe and you're questioning how shadows could possibly manage to be carnivorous?" The Doctor replied with raised eyebrows.

"Alright… Then how dangerous are these Vashta Nerada?" Clara asked with a sigh.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't want to get into details… But we sort of made a deal that I'd stay out if they released the people held in CAL."

"Isn't that where River is?" Clara asked, clearly confused.

"Like I said… I would rather not get into details… All you need to know is that you need to stay in the light, and if you have more than one shadow tell me, and then get back to the TARDIS as quickly as possible." He instructed her.

Clara looked at him, unsure how serious he was being. "Should we take lanterns or something?" She asked him awkwardly. The Doctor motioned to a large box sitting next to the doors to the TARDIS. Clara quickly moved over and pulled the lid off to reveal several incredibly ridiculous looking hats. "What even are these?" She asked in confusion as she took one out of the box.

"It's a natural light infused three hundred and sixty degree headlamp." The Doctor replied as he secured one on his own head. "Just make sure you keep it on and you'll be fine." He said as he helped Clara fasten her own chin strap.

"This is incredibly uncomfortable." She whined at him.

"Clara." The Doctor replied, looking at her as if she were a little girl.

"Sorry." She replied immediately as she adjusted her hat. She felt bad about her behavior, but she was tired. She had spent the last several weeks helping The Doctor figure out how to save River and it had been exhausting, emotionally and physically. It wasn't that she didn't want to help him, it just became incredibly difficult to stay positive when The Doctor seemed to not even know she existed.

"Let's go." The Doctor said as he flipped on their lights and opened the TARDIS door.

* * *

"CALs main system is right through here." The Doctor said as he pointed down a dark hallway.

"I thought we were supposed to try to stay in the light." Clara said, sounding rather frustrated.

The Doctor tapped the hat on his head. "That's why we've got these." He said as he turned a knob on both of their lamps, turning the lights up so that the area lit around them increased immensely.

Clara blinked several times trying to adjust her eyes. "Alright then." She replied before following him down the hallway.

"So exactly how long do we have after you download River's data ghost to the screwdriver to get it into the transfer machine?" Clara asked as they went down a long flight of stairs.

"About five minutes." He replied, unfazed.

Clara stopped immediately. "I'm sorry… Did you say five minutes?" She asked him, fazed by the response.

"Yes." He replied, continuing down the stairs.

"Okay… you realize that we've been walking for almost an hour now right?" Clara replied as she quickly ran down the rest of the stairs to allow her to catch up to The Doctor.

"There's a shortcut." He replied as he emerged at the bottom into the system room.

"I'm sorry… Why didn't we take it down here?" Clara asked as she arrived in the room with The Doctor.

"I'm trying to avoid the attention of the Vashta Nerada as much as possible. They would notice the energy surge from the teleportation plates." The Doctor responded as he began to turn on the monitors in the room.

"Awesome." Clara replied, without much enthusiasm as she looked around the room. It had clearly not seen any sort of life in years. There were abandon cords and several areas of the room were covered in burn marks. After a couple of more moments of silence Clara spoke again. "What happened here?" She asked curiously.

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment only to find every detail of that terrible event flashing before his eyes. "Nothing." He said, very unconvincingly.

"Was it some sort of great battle over The Library?" She asked curiously. "I would imagine that every country in the world would want to get their hands on a place like this. It's basically the modern Library of Alexandria."

"Something like that…" The Doctor mumbled as be pressed several more buttons on the computer. "Alright… I'm going to begin the download of River's data ghost." He said after a few more minutes. "As soon as I tell you it's done, run." He said as he pointed to the teleportation plate in the center of the room.

Clara nodded and watched nervously as The Doctor inserted the sonic screwdriver into the hole in the console. She watched carefully as the lights on the screwdriver began to light up, one at a time. She was so consumed in watching the transfer that she hadn't noticed that her headlamp had been dimming and needed to be turned up again. Another light turned on on the screwdriver when Clara felt a shiver behind her.

She looked back and immediately noticed the problem. She quickly turned back on the lamp to full power, but she knew it wouldn't help if they had gotten to her. She closed her eyes and swallowed before looking back again. She could see her own shadow following her movements along the floor and wall, but there was also another shadow, slightly to the left of her own, that looked far too similar to her figure for it to not be a second shadow.

"Doctor…" Clara began, her voice catching in her throat.

"Not yet Clara…" He replied as he anxiously watched for the last light on the sonic to flash on, indicating the end of the data transfer.

"Doctor…" She tried again, this time her voice remaining firm.

"Clara I need to concentrate!" He exclaimed as he waited, even more impatiently.

"Doctor you need to see something about…" She tried again, but he cut her off.

"NOW!" He yelled loudly, unplugging the sonic screwdriver and running for the teleportation plate.

Clara, not knowing what other options she had, followed him. During the entire teleportation she began feeling increasingly nauseated. She wasn't sure if it was a side effect from the teleportation or the Vashta Nerada, but she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. She closed her eyes to try to settle her stomach but it wasn't helping.

"Come on!" The Doctor demanded as he ran away.

She could hear his footsteps getting further and further away. She opened her eyes to see the TARDIS right in front of her, the door open. She watched from outside as The Doctor quickly plugged the screwdriver into the TARDIS console and watched as the transfer began into River's still lifeless form in the medical bay.

"Clara would you go watch in the medical bay and let me know when River starts to show signs of this working?" The Doctor asked, not looking away from the monitor, showing how much of the data had transferred and where to.

That was all it took for Clara to break. "Doctor." She said, her voice breaking in the middle of the word.

The Doctor looked back at her and saw her standing outside of the TARDIS. "Clara…" He said quietly as he walked slowly away from the console and towards her. "I'm so… so… sorry." He whispered.

She shook her head. "No… you can't risk the Vashta Nerada getting into the TARDIS… I understand." She said, trying to put on a brave face for him.

"Clara…" He said as his sight confirmed what he had already thought. "How?"

"My headlamp… I didn't pay enough attention… It was a careless mistake…" She said quietly. "It's okay Doctor… go." She tried to encourage him. "You and River are going to be very happy together." She said, wiping away the tears that were now freely falling down her cheeks.

The Doctor shook his head. "I did not get you out of my own time stream in order for you to die right here."

"Doctor…" Clara said quietly. "Go… please…" She was begging him. She could feel the Vashta Nerada pushing around her mind, trying to take over. "You don't need to see this…"

"No." He replied angrily. "Clara Oswald, you are impossible and you are going to be just fine."

She shook her head this time, smiling at him. "I'm sorry Doctor… not this time… Please."

"I'm going to get you out of here." He promised her, feeling the TARDIS start to hum, indicating that River's data ghost transfer was almost complete. "I'll come back here and get you out of here by going in myself if it's what it takes. No one dies today Clara… No one."

Clara smiled gently at him. "You're not God Doctor… You can't stop everything. Sometimes… sometimes we die… I'll just be with my mother and father…"

"NO CLARA!" He yelled angrily, knowing that she didn't understand. She would be uploaded to the Data core by CAL in an attempt to try to protect her, ultimately giving her an eternal life she never wanted.

"I'M GOING TO BE FINE!" She yelled back. "JUST GO."

The TARDIS obliged immediately, slamming her own doors shut.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" He yelled at her as he slammed his hand against the console.

The TARDIS groaned in protest and began to take off.

"NO WE CAN'T LEAVE HER HERE!" He yelled angrily at her before falling down to the ground in defeat. "…I shouldn't have brought her… I can't believe I was so careless…"

The TARIDS began to hum again, trying to get his attention, but she wasn't succeeding. She quickly jolted over to one side, with the stabilizers on in the TARDIS other than in the console room, sending the Doctor careening over to one side of the room.

"WHAT?!" He yelled angrily as the monitor swung around so it was in front of him. "_River._"

* * *

Clara began to weep as soon as she heard the TARDIS taking off. "DOCTOR!" She screamed, the sound of his name ripping into her vocal chords. "PLEASE!" She hadn't expected for this to begin to hurt as much as it did and it was terrifying. Both of her parents had been alone when they died and she had no idea that this is how agonizing that was. "Please…" She whimpered as she felt the Vashta Nerada take even more control of her body. "I don't want to die… please…"

Darkness.

It was incredibly dark.

Clara could feel her eyes closed and she tried to open them but they seemed to be glued shut. "Hello?" She whispered.

"Clara get up." A voice said immediately.

She opened her eyes, suddenly finding them able to open. She observed her surroundings and yawned. "Good morning Mum." She said with a smile as soon as her mother came around the door frame.

"Come on!" Her mother's voice rang through her ears. "Get a move on! You're going to be late for Uni."

Clara quickly got out of bed, and suddenly found herself at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

"Is something wrong sweetheart?" Her mother asked as she served her another poached egg.

Clara felt confused, but she couldn't figure out why. "Nope." She replied with a smile before digging into her breakfast. "Just hungry."

_**Author's Note: Okay I'm sorry this took so long, but I actually ended up rewriting this chapter a few times. The previous drafts were honestly just bad. So hopefully this was worth the wait! Hang in there! I promise I've got a plan for this! Please review!**_


	7. Finding The Solution

The Doctor was running through the TARDIS hallways trying to relocate the medical bay. He was having a rather difficult time navigating his way around his beloved machine because of how preoccupied his mind was. He was running out of breath when he finally saw the white door down the hallway from him. He quickly pressed the button to the side of the door causing it to slide to one side, allowing entry.

River was coughing on the bed as she tried to sit up.

The Doctor smiled as he quickly made his way over to her to help her up. "River how are you feeling?" He asked her.

She groaned in response, trying to stretch her muscles out as they felt incredibly stiff.

He smiled as he pressed his lips to hers. "How about now?" He asked cheekily as he took her hands in his and began massaging the tops of her hands.

"Better." She said quietly as she pressed her eyes closed again. After several moments of silence she spoke again. "Sit next to me, please." She whispered.

The Doctor happily obliged as he slid into the bed next to her. "River… I'm so sorry…" He began to apologize quietly before she cut him off.

"You don't need to apologize." She said as she leaned against him.

"River I let you…" The Doctor began again.

"You are always and completely forgiven." She assured him once again. "Where is this for you?" She asked him quietly as she tried to block out the headache that was threatening to overtake her mind.

"Just a few months after Trenzalore." He said quietly as he buried his face into her curly locks.

She looked over at him sharply, moving the fastest she had since the data transfer. "Where's Clara?" She asked, worried that she may have never made it out of his time stream.

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly but he tried to keep his composure. "It doesn't matter River…"

"She was important to you. Of course it matters." She assured him as she sat up again with his help.

He moved slightly so they were looking at each other face-to-face. "She's…"

"It's okay Doctor." River cut him off. "You don't have to…"

"River she's in CAL." He said quickly, starling himself as well as River.

She looked over at him in disbelief. "You let them get to her?!" She asked him angrily, pulling away from him slightly. "How could you be so careless?!"

"River…" The Doctor whispered, sounding incredibly hurt.

"Doctor you can't just take people there!" She chided him. "It's not safe and you know that!" This time The Doctor didn't respond. She looked over at him and was surprised to see anguish engrained on his features with tears lightly falling over his eyelids. "Doctor." She said gently as she ran her fingers along the side of his face. "Sweetie… How long ago did this happen?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Half an hour?" He guessed.

The tension she had been holding in her shoulders became tighter as she sighed. "My wonderful Doctor…" She told him quietly as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him into a hug. "I'm so sorry." She apologized to him quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled."

"River… You were trapped inside a computer because of me for years… You can yell at me for as long as you want." He replied as his lips gently pressed to her forehead.

"You can still save her Doctor." River said quietly. "You should be working on that, not sitting here with me. I can manage."

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm staying with you River. We can worry about Clara later… But you're going to have to prove to me that you're adjusting alright first."

"I'm fine." River lied as she tried to get up but her muscles protested in anger.

"River." He chuckled. "You have been moving as a data ghost for years, it's going to take time to adjust to movement in your body again."

River groaned as he helped her get in position to stand up. "I'd just rather rest in our room than in here."

"I've missed you River." He said quietly as he pulled her up and into his arms.

"Wow I haven't missed this." She said quietly as she felt her stomach begin to churn.

"What?"

"I'm just a bit nauseas that's all." She said as she buried her face into his shoulders.

He gently moved so that he could pick her up bridal style. "Let's get you into something more comfortable and into bed." He said gently.

"That's so close to the perfect sentence." She teased back.

* * *

"No Mum I don't have time after class to pick you up a cheese toasty from the market." Clara said exasperatedly into her mobile. "Fine… Fine… I guess I can."

She found herself dropping off a fresh cheese toasty to her mother's house. "I picked up some chips as well." She smiled as she picked a few up off from the table that she had set them down on. "They could definitely use some salt though."

"We don't have any Clara, you'd have to get it at the market." Her mother reported causing her to instantly be in line at the market to pay for some groceries.

Clara looked up at the cashier and handed him her cash card, really just going through the motions, unsure if she was even entirely aware of her shopping trip. "Paper or plastic?"

"Paper."

She was then putting away the groceries. "What is going on?" she mumbled aloud as she roamed around her mother's kitchen. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

* * *

River woke up in her and the Doctor's bed feeling much more rested.

"Good morning." He said, forcing a smile as he pressed his lips into her hair. "Are you hungry?"

River nodded as she sighed. "As long as you promise you're not cooking."

The Doctor laughed. "I'm sure the TARDIS can whip up something for you." He assured her. They lay comfortably in each other's arms for awhile before The Doctor spoke again. "I brought a wheelchair from the medical bay. You don't have to use it, but if you're still sore…"

River smiled before kissing him gently. "Thank you." She replied honestly. "Help me up?" She asked as he got up off from the bed. The Doctor carefully helped her get into the wheelchair before the two of them made their way to the TARDIS kitchen.

They were halfway through their breakfast when River spoke up. "Honey… You need to help Clara." She told him gently. He had been distant since last night and while she loved every moment with her husband, it wasn't the same when he was so distracted.

"You need me." He replied as he tried not to think about things too much.

River smiled at him as she cupped her hand around his chin. "And you need Clara. I'm not jealous honey, I just need you to be happy again. Right now you're not happy."

The Doctor buried his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on the kitchen table.

"Doctor…" River said gently as she rubbed her hand up and down his back.

He shrugged. "I don't know how to save her River." He admitted quietly. "I thought I had The Library figured out… But there's not a consciousness there to feed CAL anymore. We need another complicated space-time event. But other than me or you who else is there?"

River shook her head as she laughed. "Oh Doctor. Are you really that vain?"

"River!" He insisted angrily. "If you know something I don't… now would be a wonderful time to enlighten me."

"Just set the TARDIS to fly to Torchwood honey." River instructed gently as she finished her breakfast.

"Torchwood?" He asked, trying to think through who there would be able to help them.

"Just trust me." She requested. "I'm going to go get dressed."

"Do you need help?" He asked honestly.

She smirked. "Sorry honey, we've got to get things done and we don't need any distractions."

"That's not what I meant." He blushed.

"You fly the TARDIS. I'll take care of the rest." She assured him as she headed to their bedroom.

* * *

"River are you sure you're alright?" The Doctor asked her for the millionth time. She had abandoned the wheelchair in their bedroom and had returned to the console room by walking, although rather slowly.

"I'm fine Sweetie." She assured him as she sat down in the jumpseat. "I just need to take things a bit slower than usual. Trying to readjust to moving in this body makes movement very awkward."

"Well you're gorgeous." He assured her as he pressed his lips to hers.

"How long until we're in Torchwood?" River asked him as she leaned her head against his chest.

"About thirty seconds." He replied before the TARDIS suddenly jolted to a stop. "Or possibly now… Now is a very real possibility."

River shook her head as she grabbed onto his hands to hoist herself up. "Let's go."

"You have to keep in mind that I still don't know what you're planning here." The Doctor said awkwardly as he held her hand as they walked out of the TARDIS and into the main Torchwood hub.

"Leave it to me." She murmured into his neck before she walked up to the main desk. "Excuse me I'm looking for Captain Harkness."

"You know Jack?" The Doctor asked her in surprise.

"Of course." River replied indignantly. "I had to get my vortex manipulator from somewhere didn't I?"

"Captain Harkness is asking who is looking for him." The receptionist informed them.

"Tell him Professor Song will meet him in his office." River replied immediately before moving towards the elevators. "Floor eight please." River asked the doorman as they entered the elevators, and they were immediately headed up toward Jack's office.

"I'm not sure exactly how comfortable I am with how close you seem to be with Jack." The Doctor muttered quietly.

"Honey." River said with a smirk. "You have nothing to worry about." She said as she stepped out of the elevator with The Doctor's arm supporting her around her waist.

They walked down a hallway until River reached a door that she pushed open.

"Professor Song!" Jack said enthusiastically as she entered the room. "Doctor!"

"Hello Jack." River replied as he gave her a hug.

"What has brought you into my lovely office today?" He asked her as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Not to be too blunt Jack…" River began, feeling her legs start to buckle underneath her.

"River needs to sit down." The Doctor said for her as she grabbed onto his hand tightly, trying to get as much support from his as possible.

Jack looked at her, obviously concerned, as he pulled an office chair into his office from the hallway. "What's the matter?" He asked her, genuinely concerned for his friend.

"The Doctor just downloaded my data ghost from The Library and transferred it back into my body." River said as she took a few deep breaths. "It's been a few years and I'm still trying to regain the ropes of movement in reality."

"You went back to the library?" Jack asked The Doctor, his eyes widened. "And you got her out?"

"Look Jack, we need your help." River cut him off.

"What sort of help?" Jack asked suspiciously. "Because that's going to make a huge difference as far as whether or not I'm going to help you."

"Jack Harkness, you owe me this much." River deadpanned.

Jack nodded immediately, knowing not to mess with her.

"I'm going to need you to die." River said without flinching.

The Doctor's eyes widened, as did Jack's.

"River!" They both exclaimed immediately.

"Dying, believe it or not, actually _hurts_." Jack patronized her. "I'll do anything else."

"The Doctor's companion Clara Oswald, is trapped in the Library Data Core." River explained. "It's very, very important Jack. Or else I wouldn't ask."

"Jack… please." The Doctor spoke up suddenly. "She sacrificed herself for River, and I can't let that be the end of her."

Jack looked at The Doctor in surprise. He never asked for favors, unless they were incredibly important. "What has to happen?"

_**Author's Note: I hope you're enjoying it! I've been sick for the past little bit so I've been spending a lot of time in bed writing. Hopefully I'll get another chapter done soon! Please Review!**_


	8. Stupid Space Boy

"So I just…?" Jack asked confused as he stood staring at the chair in the control room in The Library.

"We're going to hook you up to CAL." The Doctor began for the fifth time. "She's going to download your data ghost, which is in essence your life."

"It's going to hurt, but since your body is immortal as soon as CAL is done using the data ghost to download anyone that she has saved you'll be able to come right back to life." River finished.

"And this will save Clara?" Jack asked again.

River and The Doctor nodded.

"Thank you Jack." The Doctor said honestly.

"You owe me one." He replied with a smirk.

River rolled her eyes. "No he doesn't. You owe me way more than this, this is letting you off easy. The number of sexual harassment claims I could file against you from my time at Torchwood…"

"River!" The Doctor said in surprise. "When were you at Torchwood?"

River smirked. "It was all part of my training." She said as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Now go hook up this Casanova to the computer."

Jack shakily sat down in the chair and The Doctor began to hook up wires around the room.

River watched for awhile before she stood up from the chair The Doctor had brought out of the TARDIS for her. "I'm sorry." She said quietly before walking into the TARDIS, looking sick to her stomach.

The Doctor looked after her, feeling very concerned for his wife. He knew that being there couldn't be easy for her.

"She's not herself." Jack noted as The Doctor handed him two sets of wires attached to alligator clips.

"I know." The Doctor replied without looking at him. "Just… attach the two wires together in about five minutes. "I need to get upstairs so that I can find Clara when she's downloaded. We won't leave without you." He promised.

Jack nodded before The Doctor stood on the teleportation plate to go upstairs.

The Doctor was pacing back and forth upstairs when suddenly a flash of white light announced the release of the souls The Library held. It took several more moments before Clara materialized in the middle of the room.

"Clara!" He called out, his voice breaking as tears of joy spilled down his cheeks. He ran over to her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry… I'm so so sorry." He whispered into her ear as he hugged her.

"Thank you so much." She whimpered quietly. "Thank you."

"Let's get you back to the TARDIS." He encouraged her as he kept his arm around her shoulders so that she didn't fall over.

They reached the console room in The Library and Clara gasped seeing Jack's lifeless form sitting in the chair that she had questioned just a couple of days before.

"He died for me?" Clara asked, tears falling down her face.

The Doctor hugged her gently from the side. "He's going to be fine."

"I'm sorry?" Clara asked, clearly confused as she entered the TARDIS with him.

"He's immortal." River explained for him. "He'll come to in a few minutes."

"I need to sit down." Clara said tiredly.

"Why don't you go to your room?" The Doctor suggested.

"I'll bring you something to eat." River offered.

"Thank you." Clara replied quietly before heading to her room.

The Doctor smiled at River. "You…" He said, genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. "Are the most amazing woman I've ever met." He told her before passionately locking his lips with hers.

"Doctor…" She whispered quietly against his lips. "We still need to take care of Jack and Clara." She giggled.

"I'll untie Jack if you feed Clara." The Doctor offered as he kissed her once again.

"Of course." River agreed, allowing her lips to linger against his once more. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

River knocked gently on Clara's door. "Clara, I brought you a cheese toasty and some apple juice."

"Come in." Clara said tiredly.

River looked at the young girl sympathetically. Clara was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling trying not to drive herself insane. "You're going to be okay." River said gently as she laid the tray at the foot of Clara's bed. She sat down on the edge of Clara's bed and she gently rubbed Clara's back.

"My Mum was in CAL." Clara said quietly. "It was horrifying and terrifying but I was with my Mum."

"I know… I know…" River assured her. "The Library gives you everything you want, but none of its real. And it's going to be hard to forget it."

Clara nodded. "Thank you River." She said honestly. "I don't deserve this."

"What?" River asked, obviously confused.

Clara sighed. "You have no reason to trust me. I'm just some girl that's been travelling the universe with your husband. I have no business being here now that you're back."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like Clara." River promised her. "The Doctor and I are going to need to take Jack back to Torchwood."

"Jack?" Clara asked, trying to keep her eyes open long enough to try to understand what had happened.

"Captain Jack Harkness, the only man complicated enough to stop The Library." River said with a smile. "He's one of the kindest, and most annoying men in the universe."

"Are you sure you're not talking about The Doctor?" Clara asked with a smirk.

River sighed. "They're very similar, but Jack is much more violent than The Doctor in many matters."

"I'm sorry River." Clara said quietly. "I'm taking away time you have with The Doctor."

"Clara…" River assured her once again. "It's fine."

"Thank you River." Clara replied honestly. "For everything."

River smiled as she got up off from the bed. "Rest up. I'm sure The Doctor has some sort of adventure he wants to go on tomorrow."

Clara nodded and River shut the door behind herself as she left. She began to head toward the console room when The Doctor and Jack ran past her in the hallway, nearly knocking her over.

"Doctor!" She called after him angrily.

"Sorry River! Jack noticed something about the Vashta Nerada while he was in CAL and we think we might be able to get them out of The Library for good!" He called, his voice getting quieter and more muffled the further away he got from her.

"Doctor!" She called again.

"I'm sorry River!" He called back. He said something else after that but he was too far away for River to hear her.

River kicked the wall angrily before going back to her and The Doctor's bedroom. She lay down on the bed and shoved her face into the pillow before screaming, loudly. "I hate you." River whispered to the empty room as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

* * *

It was several hours later when The Doctor excitedly opened their bedroom door. "River we did it!" He exclaimed excitedly as he jumped onto his side of the bed, laying down so he was facing her. "The Library will forever be free from the Vashta Nerada and we can go back whenever we want…" He stopped rambling as he examined her face more closely. Her eyes were pressed tightly shut, but a few tears were falling next to the tear trails already staining her cheeks. "River?"

"Don't." She said angrily before turning over so her back was to him.

"Hey…" The Doctor said quietly as he propped himself up on his elbow. "What's wrong?" He asked as he ran his fingers through her curls.

"You are really just a space idiot aren't you?" River said quietly, pulling a blanket up to her chin.

"River…" The Doctor said seriously. "I can't fix whatever's wrong if you don't tell me."

River shook her head angrily. "I'm going to take a shower." She said as she got out of bed. "Don't follow me."

"River!" The Doctor called after her to no avail. "Come on!"

"Shut up!" River called back as she slammed the door closed behind her.

That was when Clara appeared in the doorway to their room. "What did you do?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"Nothing!" The Doctor claimed, putting his arms up in surrender. "I didn't do anything!"

"Mhmmm." Clara replied as she rolled her eyes. "That didn't look like the kind of reaction that someone would have to nothing… unless you actually… did nothing?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

The Doctor looked at her suspiciously. "Of course I didn't do anything!" he replied, clearly not catching what she was talking about.

"Doctor… your wife was trapped inside a computer for a couple of years." Clara said with a smirk. "She wants to spend time with you and all you've been doing is running around with Jack trying to _save the library_ or whatever it was that you were doing."

"River isn't that shallow…" The Doctor dismissed her immediately.

"DOCTOR!" Clara exclaimed. "You can't possibly be that dense! She's your wife Doctor! You don't understand what it's like inside CAL. She recreates everything that you want in real life, but it's not real. Nothing in it is _real_. And every moment is spent wanting it to be _real_. She's probably spent years with you but it wasn't really _you_."

The Doctor looked at her in disbelief. "She knows these things are important…" He said, feeling confused.

"Doctor… You're more than a thousand years old. Are you seriously telling me that you've never had someone who cared about the universe, but also wanted you for themselves every once in a while."

The Doctor looked down at his feet before mumbling something that sounded like _Donna_ under his breath before he waved Clara out of the room and shut the door behind her. He quickly ran over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "River… I'm coming in." He said quietly before slowly opening the door.

He was surprised to see her sitting on the floor with her face buried into her knees, her shoulders trembling. The shower was running in the background but she hadn't made any moves toward actually taking a shower. "River I'm so sorry." He apologized earnestly as he sat down next to her. "I shouldn't have ignored you… I wasn't trying to… but it's my fault." He hoped for a reply, but when he didn't get one, he tried again. "River Song… I was an idiot and I don't deserve you… But I don't know what I would do without you."

"You'd go off on adventures with everyone else." River said quietly.

"But I don't want to!" The Doctor cut her off. "I only want you River. I've spent every moment since I met you in The Library trying to figure out how I could save you. I only want you River, forever."

River looked up at him cautiously. "Rule one?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Rule one never applies to you River."

She smirked as he put his arms around her.

"You've got that face on again." He teased her.

"Oh shut up." She replied as he pressed his lips to hers. "I love you."

"I love you too River… And I really am sorry… I shouldn't have been so stupid." The Doctor apologized.

"You're always going to be that stupid Doctor." River replied as she found herself becoming more comfortable in his arms.

"You really know how to cheer a time lord up don't you?" He sulked.

"I could try." She said immediately as she turned so she was straddling his legs. She began trailing kisses along his collarbone and he shivered at her touch. "How am I doing?"

He smirked before capturing her lower lip between his. "Perfectly." He said when they paused. "Absolutely perfectly."

_**Author's Note: Well here's another chapter! I can't stop writing and I have to get up in four hours but right now I really don't care! I hope you're enjoying it! Please Review!**_


	9. Settling In

The next morning The Doctor woke up with his arms around River's waist. She was still asleep and he didn't want to wake her so he stayed where he was for nearly half an hour before he heard footsteps going down the hall. He gently took his arms from around his wife and quietly went out of their room. He followed the sounds of the footsteps to the TARDIS kitchen where he found Clara pouring herself a bowl of Weetabix.

"Hey." He said quietly as he sat down at the table next to her. Clara smiled slightly but didn't say anything. "I'm sorry Clara." He apologized honestly. "I shouldn't have put you in that much danger."

Clara snorted. "Everything with you involves danger." She replied before biting her lip and going back to playing with her cereal without really eating any of it.

The Doctor looked over at her, feeling incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry Clara."

"You keep saying that." She muttered as she shoved a rather large spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"I mean it Clara." He insisted. "I shouldn't have asked you to come to The Library with me. I could have done it by myself, the only thing I did was endanger you."

Clara shook her head. "I wouldn't have stayed in the TARDIS and you know it." She replied, clearly frustrated.

"Then why are you mad at me!?" The Doctor suddenly yelled.

"Because you're an idiot!" Clara yelled back.

"That's not even a valid argument!" The Doctor replied angrily.

Clara rolled her eyes. "Look." She started. "I'm pissed off… I'm going to remain that way until you figure out how stupid you really are!"

"Clara!" The Doctor protested.

"Fine!" Clara replied. "You're not going to want me here anymore!" She suddenly broke. "You don't need me here now that River's here…"

"Clara…" The Doctor said quietly before he pulled her tightly into his arms. "I want you here. River wants you here."

"This is stupid." Clara replied as she pulled away from him.

"Clara!" The Doctor protested.

Clara shook her head. "This is stupid! This is your stupid snog box and you _lied_."

"Clara what are you talking about?" The Doctor asked, feeling a headache ebbing at the back of his skull.

"When you first came and picked me up from Angie and Artie's house you told me this wasn't a snog box! It's totally a snog box! River told me she was a companion! Am I just not important enough?!" Clara asked angrily.

"Clara it's not like that!" The Doctor insisted.

"Then what is it like?" Clara asked, sounding exhausted.

The Doctor smiled gently. "Clara Oswald, you are incredibly important to me. Just like each and every other person that has traveled with me over the years. But just because I'm not in love with you, doesn't mean I don't love you Clara."

Clara crossed her arms, trying to remain angry. She looked down at her feet before speaking again. "Just how many 'wives' have you had?" She asked him sternly.

The Doctor sighed. "Two." He admitted quietly.

Clara raised her eyebrows, surprised for multiple reasons. "Does River…?"

The Doctor nodded. "River knows. My first wife died, hundreds of years ago."

Clara looked up at him curiously. "Did you have any children?"

The Doctor nodded again. "Two." He said quietly.

"So Jessica…" Clara began to ask.

The Doctor shook his head. "We shouldn't talk about her, not while River could walk in…"

Clara nodded. "So… you don't just marry every attractive woman you pick up?"

The Doctor smirked. "No Clara. River… River has been a wonderful gift given to me by this cruel universe that I will never be able to begin to explain."

Clara smiled as she nodded. "I'm sorry." She said sheepishly. "And thank you."

"No… thank you Clara Oswald." The Doctor said with a smile before pulling her into another hug, this one she gratefully accepted.

They sat together making jokes for nearly an hour before The Doctor heard a gunshot go off somewhere in the TARDIS.

Both The Doctor and Clara's eyes widened before they ran toward the noise. Eventually they found River and Jack, with River pointing a gun directly at Jack.

"Okay." The Doctor said, sounding surprised. "Let's just… take a moment."

River shook her head. "Nope I'm killing him." She replied.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked cautiously.

"I…" Jack began.

"He walked in on me in the shower." River cut him off. "And then he proceeded to comment on how attractive I was."

"Shoot him." The Doctor replied immediately.

"Doctor!" Both Clara and Jack protested.

"She's my wife!" The Doctor replied. "Do you know what you're not supposed to do when you walk in on your friend's naked wife?"

Jack bit his lower lip as he nodded. "I probably shouldn't have commented on her figure…"

"Alright can everyone just take a breather?" The Doctor asked, specifically directing his question towards River.

River looked up at him as if she were considering it for a moment before she pulled the trigger, hitting Jack directly in the face, instantly killing him. "Nope… we're not taking a breather."

"River!" The Doctor exclaimed as he quickly moved over to Jack to rearrange his body so his face wouldn't be in the pavement when he came to. "You can't just shoot Jack every time he acts like an idiot!"

"Watch me." River challenged before putting the blaster back in its holster and walking away.

"River!" The Doctor called after her.

"Ow!" Jack said suddenly. "Okay that was unnecessary!"

"You deserved it!" River called back before she turned into the console room.

"He saved my life can't we cut him a little slack?!" Clara asked as she helped Jack up.

"Not to mention the fact that we saved The Library." Jack said importantly.

"How exactly did you go about doing that?" Clara asked curiously.

"It was simple really." Jack began. "Basically they thrive off from trees, so they were eternally dying in The Library because they were living in dead trees."

"So we brought the everlasting tree from the TARDIS arboretum into The Library and put it in the darkest corner of The Library." The Doctor continued.

"And then we turned lights on in the rest of The Library to drive all of the Vashta Nerada to the tree in the corner, away from all of the books." Jack picked up.

"Basically the opposite of when you try to catch moths." The Doctor explained excitedly.

"Then I used my Vortex Manipulator to take the tree to planet 9000 which is entirely made of trees. They're now in their natural habitat, and The Library is free for use to the public. Assuming that the family that owns it agrees." Jack finished.

"It was that simple?" Clara asked in disbelief.

"Hey it took a lot of work!" The Doctor pouted.

Clara smirked. "I'm sure it did."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Jack are you ready to go back to Torchwood?"

"Yeah… I'd rather not have another run-in with your wife any time soon." Jack said cautiously, hoping River wouldn't hear him.

It was then that River came up behind them and gently put her arms around The Doctor's neck. "I heard that." She said with a smile as she kissed The Doctor on the cheek. "Now let's get rid of this jerk." She said with a smirk before going back to the console room, this time with everyone else following her.

River began moving around the console, entering in coordinates and pulling several of the levers, including turning off the brakes.

"How come it didn't make the noise?" Clara asked as she felt them move slightly. "And how come we're not all being jolted across the room?"

"Because I fly her correctly." River said pointedly toward The Doctor. "He leaves the brakes on."

"It doesn't matter." The Doctor muttered.

"It's why you have to replace the brakes so frequently." River retorted.

"Oh you know you like watching me change them." The Doctor teased.

"Right…" She said as she pulled down a lever, parking the TARDIS. "Alright Jack." She said with a sigh. "Thank you." She said honestly. "But you definitely still owe me one."

"You shot me!" Jack whined.

"You deserved it!" River replied.

"Alright you two, break it up." The Doctor said as he wrapped his arms around River's waist. "Thanks Jack."

"Anytime." Jack nodded with a smile before exiting the TARDIS, closing the door gently behind himself.

"Alright where do you want to go?" The Doctor asked River and Clara.

"I'm in the mood for some shopping." Clara said manipulatively. "How about you River?"

River smiled before nodding seriously. "I could get behind a good shopping trip." She replied. "Doctor?"

"Shopping?" He whined.

Both Clara and River crossed their arms.

"Alright… alright… shopping it is." The Doctor gave up as he raised his hands. "Where are we going?"

Clara and River looked at each other for one moment before they turned to The Doctor. "Paris." They said in sync.

The Doctor shook his head. "I really should have seen this one coming." He sighed.

"Thank you Sweetie." River said as she kissed him gently. "Come on Clara let's go get ready."

"Ready for what?" The Doctor asked as he pulled up a lever, sending them into flight.

"We're going shopping in Paris, you honestly don't think I'm going like this do you?" River asked, gesturing to her jeans and blouse.

"You look gorgeous." The Doctor replied. "I don't see why you shouldn't…"

River rolled her eyes before kissing him one last time. "Just fly the TARDIS we'll be ready in an hour."

The Doctor sighed as he watched the two of them head toward the TARDIS wardrobe. It was going to take a while to get used to two women living on the TARDIS.

"Hey Doctor?" Clara's voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Yes." He replied immediately as he turned around to face her.

"I'd like to go home for a little bit." Clara admitted.

"Now?" The Doctor asked in surprise.

Clara laughed. "Of course not! We're going shopping first!" She insisted. "I would just like to have a little bit of normalcy for a bit."

"Of course." The Doctor nodded. "Now go let River help you get dressed, or else she will come and find you."

* * *

"Angie, Artie!" Clara called as she opened up the door to the house. "You better be working on your homework!"

"Is your boyfriend here?" Angie called down the stairs.

Clara blushed furiously, looking at River nervously. "He's not my boyfriend!"

River laughed.

"Who was that?" Artie asked before running down the stairs. "Doctor!" He exclaimed excitedly before running toward The Doctor.

"Artie Maitland!" The Doctor greeting him excitedly as he shook his hand. "How are you doing?"

"I'm well." Artie said seriously before looking over at River. "Who's that?" He asked bluntly.

"This." The Doctor said importantly. "Is my wife."

"I TOLD YOU!" Artie yelled up the stairs to Angie.

Angie appeared at the top of the stairs. "You told me what?" She asked as she quickly made her way down the stairs.

"The Doctor isn't Clara's boyfriend!" Artie said proudly.

"I'm Professor River Song." River introduced herself to Angie. "I'm the Doctor's wife."

Clara nudged Angie to have her shake River's hand. "Hello Professor Song."

River smirked. "You can call me River." She said with a smile.

"Clara what's for dinner?" Artie asked suddenly.

"Well what do you want?" Clara replied as everyone continued into the kitchen.

Both Artie and Angie spoke at the same time. "Ribs." Artie said while Angie suggested, "Pasta."

Clara smirked. "Well since we don't have any ribs in the house it's going to be pasta. How about chicken alfredo with garlic bread?"

"Fine." Artie allowed.

An hour later everyone was sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner.

"River how long are you and The Doctor staying?" Angie asked between bites.

River smiled, the young girl had grown rather fond of her over the last hour, she was incredibly intrigued by her stories from the science field. "Probably not too long." She admitted.

"Why?" Artie chimed in.

"River and I have some adventures to catch up on." The Doctor said with a smirk. River elbowed him in the side. "Of course Clara is welcome to come with us if she wants."

"I'd like to stay here for a couple of days first." Clara said for herself.

River looked over at The Doctor. "Well I don't see why we can't stay here for a couple of days."

"River…" The Doctor began to whine.

River gave him a stern look. "Tomorrow how about you go to the cinema with Angie and Artie?"

The Doctor looked suddenly excited. "Excellent! I haven't been to the cinema in years!"

Clara smirked. "Alright Angie and Artie get to bed, you can stay home tomorrow, but after that you're back to school."

Angie and Artie high-fived before running up the stairs together.

"You two can stay in the guest bedroom." Clara said as she pointed down the hall.

"Thanks." The Doctor began.

"But we're going to go out and sleep in our room in the TARDIS." River finished.

Clara smiled. "Alright, but you two better not fly off on any exciting adventures without me." She teased.

"We promise." River replied.

"Goodnight Clara!" The Doctor said as they headed out to the backyard.

"Goodnight Doctor." Clara said before closing the door behind them.

_**Author's Note: I actually ended up adding in this chapter based on requests in reviews so I hope you like it! I tried to cover things people felt were missing or askew! Please keep reviewing! **_


	10. Three Months Later

It was three months after the rescue in The Library and things were getting tense on the TARDIS. Clara had gone home for a break nearly a month ago after almost dying again when they visited a planet where if you stood in one place for too long you were sucked down to its core. After that The Doctor had taken River on several "adventures" but none of them had been particularly exciting. For the last week River had become increasingly quiet, and The Doctor had taken up rewiring the entire TARDIS console, something that was driving River insane. The Doctor and River tried to ignore the tension, but the TARDIS seemed to be trying to ensure just how aware of it they were.

That particular afternoon The Doctor had ran out of wiring and needed to stop into the TARDIS graveyard on planet 137 in order to gather more parts. He had spent nearly an hour searching for her before he found her in the main library, hidden behind the large book on the history of the time lords. "River I need to make a stop on planet 137 for more spare parts." The Doctor said from the doorway.

River looked up at him from over the book. "Doctor you've made six stops there this week." She replied, sounding rather uninterested.

"Well I'm trying to ensure that the TARDIS is at its maximum flight ability again." The Doctor replied angrily.

"Fine." River replied as she slammed the book closed. "Travel wherever you want! I'll be in my room!"

The Doctor sighed as he put his face into his hands. He didn't know what was wrong, but about three days ago River had begun to resort back to her old bedroom in the TARDIS that she used before they were married, and she had been avoiding talking to him as much as possible. He was sure it was probably something he had done, but he honestly couldn't figure out what.

He hadn't missed any birthdays or anniversaries, he had asked the TARDIS to double check that one. It was always possible that River was sick, but she usually told him about that. Maybe she wanted to go somewhere specific? But she was always fairly verbal or active when she disagreed with the flight patterns he set on the TARDIS.

He shook his head as he once again gave up on trying to figure it out. He headed back to the console to set flight towards Planet 137. "Where did I go wrong?" He muttered angrily as the TARDIS took off towards its destination.

* * *

The Doctor was finishing the rewiring a couple of days later. "River!" He called excitedly as he connected the last two wires. "I'm done!"

River tiredly made her way into the console room and The Doctor ran up the stairs to start a test flight with the new system. He began pulling a few of the levers before he looked over to her. "River you look horrible!"

River sighed as she sat down in the jumpseat. "Gee, thanks." She replied sarcastically as she pulled her knees up to her chin.

"No… that's not what I meant." He said sheepishly. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked her as he pressed his hand to her forehead to check for a fever.

"I'm fine." She lied immediately. "I'm just…" She was searching her mind for some sort of lie to cover up the fact that she wasn't really fine. "I miss my parents." She said after a moment.

"Well you're in luck." He replied with a huge smile. "With the new flight system in the TARDIS we should have just enough time energy to get through to New York again!"

"No Doctor you really don't need to…" River tried to stop him, but he had already entered the coordinates. "Doctor!"

"River we're going to go see your parents!" The Doctor said excitedly.

"Doctor." River said quietly.

"What?" He asked, immediately concerned. "River…"

River shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She dismissed him. "I'm going to go back to reading."

"Why are you even reading that?" The Doctor asked as he followed her.

"Doctor!" River snapped. "Can you please… give me like twenty meters of space for a little bit."

"River…" The Doctor tried to console her.

"Just fly this stupid ship to my parents' house! Alright?" River snapped again.

"She didn't mean it…" The Doctor said as he gently ran his hand along the wall. It was then that the doors to the library slammed shut. "River!" The Doctor tried as he banged on the door. "River I'm sorry!" After no response he sighed as he headed back to the console room.

"Alright Sexy, it looks like this time it's just you and me."

* * *

"Rory!" Amy called from the living room in their apartment. "Please tell me you've seen Anthony!"

"He was in our room last time I saw him!" Rory called back from the den.

Amy quickly made her way into her and Rory's bedroom and found her three year old son sitting on their bed, looking through a picture book. "Anthony!" She said exasperatedly. "You need to answer me when I call you."

"Sorry mummy." Anthony said with a wide grin.

Amy sighed before rolling her eyes. "Alright mister." Amy said as she picked up her son and rested him on her hip. "We're going to make dinner for Daddy."

"Yay!" Anthony said excitedly as he clapped his hands.

"What should we make?" She asked him as they walked toward the kitchen.

"Chicken!" Anthony said immediately as his mother set him down on the counter.

"What kind of chicken?" Amy asked. "Parmesan or western?" She questioned as she held up a block of cheese and a jar of salsa.

"Salsa!" Anthony pointed to the jar.

Amy laughed. "Alright, western it is." She replied.

She was halfway through making dinner when she heard a very faint, but very familiar noise. "RORY!" Amy yelled as she picked Anthony up off from the floor in the kitchen, not wanting to leave him in there alone with the hot stove. She ran into the den and saw Rory getting up from his desk.

"Did you hear that?" He asked her. Amy nodded immediately and they ran toward the front door.

"Hear what Mummy?" Anthony asked as his parents both put on their shoes, Amy putting on period high heels and Rory fastening his loafers. "Hear what Mummy?" Anthony asked again.

"Hold on for a moment honey." Amy hushed him, making him feel slightly hurt. He began to cry into her shoulder. "Oh honey…"

"Hey." Rory said immediately as he tickled Anthony's ribs. "I told you to behave for your Mum." Anthony giggled before nodding.

Amy and Rory then quickly made their way up the stairs to the roof where they thought that they had heard the noise coming from. They quickly opened the door to the roof access and were shocked to actually see what they thought they had heard. The TARDIS was parked neatly in a corner behind a wall across the roof.

Amy's eyes widened before she handed Anthony to Rory and pulled off her shoes before running across the roof and flinging the door open.

"Amy!" The Doctor said excitedly before groaning as Amy's arms wrapped tightly around his middle.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked breathlessly. "How are you here?" She asked as Rory entered the TARDIS, trying to keep hold of Anthony who was squirming wildly.

"I rewired the TARDIS… She blew a few gaskets on the flight down here, but I don't think too much damage occurred." The Doctor began before the console began to sputter and then groan as it turned off. "Well… that probably wasn't good." He said, only slightly concerned.

It was then that River stormed into the console room. "Are you serious?!" She yelled at him angrily. "You broke her again!" She yelled, not noticing her parents in the room.

"River!" Amy exclaimed before running to her daughter. She stopped short, noticing that she didn't look like herself. "River?" She questioned quietly.

"Hello Mum." She said as she shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to discuss it.

"Well come on inside. I'm sure you don't want to spend your evening in a broken down TARDIS." Amy said, taking initiative of the incredibly awkward situation.

The five of them all carefully exited the TARDIS and it wasn't until they arrived in Amy and Rory's apartment that The Doctor noticed Anthony.

"Wait who is _this_?" He asked as he pointed to the little boy in Rory's arms.

"This is Anthony Brian Williams." Amy said as she took her son from her husband. "Rory will you please add some more chicken to the dish in the oven?" She asked him.

"Do we have any more that isn't in the freezer in the basement?" Rory asked before heading to the kitchen to look.

"I'm not sure." Amy replied, watching her daughter with concern while trying not to alert Anthony that anything was up.

"Anthony Brian Williams!" The Doctor exclaimed excitedly as he examined him. "How come he's not ginger?" He asked suddenly.

"We adopted him Doctor." Amy said with a slight laugh. "His birth parents both had dark brown hair, so he probably will as well. Won't you Anthony?" She asked him with a smile. "Anthony meet your brother-in-law." She said as she handed Anthony to The Doctor.

"He thinks you are very strange Amy." The Doctor informed her after several minutes of listening to Anthony babble. "He also would like to spend some time with his father this evening."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Rory did you find any chicken?" She called to her husband as she watched River make her way to a couch in the living room and sit down.

"Nope." He reported. "I'm heading downstairs." He said with fake enthusiasm.

"Why don't you take The Doctor with you?" Amy suggested.

"Excellent!" The Doctor agreed.

Rory shrugged in agreement before the two of them headed out the door. As soon as the door was shut Amy deposited Anthony into his playpen before going to sit down next to her daughter. "River…"

"I'm fine." River dismissed her immediately.

Amy shook her head. "You are not fine." She said honestly.

"I could say the same for you." River replied with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked, mocking offense.

"You are wearing a dress, with a skirt that has pleats, and your hair is in a bun." River replied with a smirk. "That is so not you."

"You are lazing around on my couch after time travelling to a time period that could have very well ripped a hole in the space-time continuum and you look like you just got hit by a truck." Amy retorted. "That is so not you."

River sighed. "I know." She admitted quietly.

"Whoa there." Amy said gently as she looked at her with genuine interest. "What's wrong?"

"I…" River began before the front door opened.

"River!" The Doctor said excitedly. "There's a roasted chestnuts cart out front!" He said as he held out the bag to her.

River shook her head as she extended her arm. "No thanks sweetie." She replied quietly.

"Rory can you make sure nothing in the kitchen is burning?" Amy asked him.

"I was going to play with Anthony…" Rory began to whine slightly before he saw the look in Amy's eyes. "Can we talk for a second?" He asked before excusing them and pulling her into their bedroom and closing the door behind them. "What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong with River." Amy said as she pulled the ribbon out of her hair that was holding it up. She began running her fingers through her hair as she always did when she felt stressed.

"Wrong like… life-ending peril wrong? Or wrong like she's having a bad week wrong?" Rory asked her gently as he pulled her into a hug.

"I have no idea." Amy admitted quietly.

Rory sighed. "Alright, well how about if tonight I take Anthony and The Doctor out for some ice cream after dinner? That would give you and River a chance to talk."

Amy nodded. "Thank you."

_**Author's Note: I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! I'm still sick so I'm basically just camping out and writing! Please review!**_


	11. Hiding The Pain

Everyone endured an incredibly awkward dinner. Anthony was intrigued by his older sister and watched her nearly the entire meal, occasionally questioning her behaviors with questions such as 'Why are you using butter?' and 'Why didn't you eat the apples?'. The Doctor made small talk with Amy and Rory, neither of whom were really paying attention to him as both of them were observing their daughter. River could feel almost everyone's eyes on her and she lost what little of an appetite she had.

"River…" The Doctor said as Amy got up to clear the table. He was genuinely concerned. She had barely touched any of her food and she was visibly uncomfortable, something he had never seen unless something was genuinely wrong.

River shook her head as she smiled softly at him. "Please not now." She requested quietly.

Rory could sense that The Doctor wanted to talk to River, and that it probably wasn't a conversation for her father's ears. He stood up and picked up Anthony from his high chair. "Doctor, Anthony and I are going out for ice cream in a bit. Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to!" The doctor replied feigning excitement for Anthony who excitedly clapped his hands in response.

"Alright just let me get Anthony ready to go." Rory said before heading toward Anthony's bedroom.

"River I'm sorry we're stuck here…" He said softly as he gently took her hand in his and gave it a soft squeeze.

River shook her head. "It's not your fault..."

"River…" The Doctor tried once more.

River took her hand back. "I can't do this right now… I'm sorry." She said quietly as she got up from the table.

"River!" He whined this time. "Please!"

"Doctor!" She yelled back, this time anger surfacing in her eyes.

He looked at her in genuine fear he was beginning to back away when Amy rushed into the room. "River are you alright?"

River kept her eyes glued to her husband. "Drop it." She hissed.

The Doctor nodded anxiously, his eyes wide.

"Doctor!" Rory called from the entryway. "We're ready to go."

"I'll be right there." The Doctor called, not looking away from River who was trying to keep her angry exterior from cracking, but he could see her pain shining through. "River…"

"Shut up!" River replied angrily before going through the swinging door into the kitchen.

The Doctor watched as the door swung back and forth from the force of River's push.

"Doctor." Amy said sympathetically as she gently hugged him. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine."

The Doctor sighed in response without saying anything.

Amy pulled away slowly. "You should go… Anthony and Rory are waiting for you."

"Take care of her. " The Doctor said quietly.

Amy nodded and they parted ways, The Doctor to the front door to join Rory and Anthony, and Amy into the kitchen to check on River. She gently pushed open the door and was surprised to see River sitting on the floor, her back pressed against a cabinet and her knees tucked up so that her face was buried in them.

Amy was now genuinely concerned. "River?" She asked her quietly.

River quickly looked up, trying to look as if she was fine. "I'm sorry." She apologized quietly before standing up, with notable effort.

"River…What the hell was that?" Amy asked as she stared her daughter in the eyes.

River bit her lip. She wanted to ignore what was causing her so much pain but Amy knew how to break her, and she was becoming dangerously close.

Amy could sense that she was conflicted, and she began to feel only sympathy for her daughter. "River… did he do something to you?"

River couldn't help but let out a painful laugh. "I guess you could say that." She said quietly.

"River…" Amy insisted desperately.

River shook her head. "It really doesn't matter." She replied quietly.

"Melody Pond." Amy said suddenly. "You're hurt. If The Doctor did something to hurt you…"

River shook her head immediately. "It's not his fault…" She said quickly before looking down, suddenly interested in her feet. "It's mine." She admitted quietly before tears started to fall.

"River what happened?" Amy asked her quietly.

River gasped, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't noticed that she hadn't been breathing, and it took both of them by surprise. "I… I was…"

"River please… tell me. " Amy coaxed her gently.

"I was pregnant…" She admitted under her breath.

Amy's eyes immediately caught River's eyes, seeing the pain that was in them. "What happened?"

"I think I miscarried…" River admitted quietly.

"River…" Amy was at a loss for words. Her daughter's pain was clearly visible now, her exterior shell that she had put up had cracked. "How long ago?" She asked her quietly.

River was in a daze, not really sure if she was admitting it out loud in reality. "I started having mild cramps about a week ago and I thought it was nothing… then a few days ago I started spotting… I honestly thought it was nothing…"

"River it's not your fault." Amy said quietly.

River began to look sick to her stomach. "I feel horrible." She admitted quietly.

"Are you telling me the pain hasn't stopped?" Amy asked her gently, concerned for her daughter.

River nodded slowly as she gripped onto the counter, trying not to pass out.

"Okay River… what's happening… I need you to communicate with me… please…" Amy was getting desperate, she wasn't sure how she could go from looking simply unhappy to looking as if she were dying.

"I need to lie down." River insisted immediately.

Amy nodded quickly before putting her arm around River's shoulders. Amy was terrified. She had been through this but it had been a relatively quick process, and things hadn't changed quite as drastically, it was much more gradual.

Amy led River to her and Rory's bedroom as it was closer to the kitchen and she quickly had helped her lie down.

"River what can I do to help?" Amy asked her as she watched her daughter curl up into a ball, trying to ignore the pain. "Do you want me to go get The Doctor?" She asked desperately.

"NO!" River almost screamed.

"River… you can't…"

"Never… let him… see the… damage…" River ground out.

Amy shook her head. "This is ridiculous…"

"Please." River begged, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to hurt him."

Amy was trying to decide what to do when she heard the front door open, Anthony crying loudly. Amy bit her lip anxiously. She was conflicted more than ever before. Both of her children were in distress and she wouldn't be able to figure out what was wrong with Anthony without alerting The Doctor to where River was.

"Please." River was now sobbing.

Amy looked down at her. "I can't help you River… please… at least let me go get Rory…"

"Rory… but not The Doctor… whatever you have to do…" River said before moaning in pain.

Amy quickly opened the door to the bedroom slightly before closing it after she slipped out. She ran to the kitchen where she found Rory putting a bandage on Anthony's arm. Amy immediately put on her sympathetic face for her son. "What happened?" She asked him as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I fell." Anthony said as he sniffed.

"Doctor could you watch Anthony for us for a moment?" Amy asked as she grabbed Rory's arm.

"Honestly it was my fault, not Rory's." The Doctor replied immediately, assuming Amy wanted to admonish Rory.

"I just need to talk to him for a minute." Amy said immediately.

"Alright… how's River?" The Doctor agreed as he picked up Anthony.

Amy looked up at him. "She's asleep… it would be best not to disturb her." She lied quickly before pulling Rory into their bedroom behind her.

"Amy what on…" He began to question her before he saw River on the bed, visibly in immense pain. "What happened?" He asked her angrily.

"She's pregnant… or she was?" Amy said in hushed tones.

"We need The Doctor…" Rory began to insist before he heard an insistent "NO." from River. "River…" He said quietly as he sat down next to her. "How long?"

"I think it started a week ago…" River replied, feeling her father's gentle touch on her back. "

Rory continued to gently rub River's back as he spoke to her gently. "River do you know about time lord pregnancy complications?"

River nodded as she groaned once again. "I was reading about them… after I started having cramps…" She said, her voice breathy from how hard she was trying to breathe.

"Tell me what you know." Rory requested, gently but firmly.

River tried to focus on her father's voice and she began to speak. "A miscarriage can last one to two weeks… starting with mild cramping and spotting for the majority of the time ending with severe cramps and severe bleeding… often ending in regeneration for the… mother…"

Amy looked at her daughter angrily. "You didn't tell me this was this serious River…"

"Well time lords only have a one-tenth of a percent chance of having a pregnancy end in miscarriage." River replied, now obviously reciting facts from a book.

"You need The Doctor." Rory said gently as he continued to rub her back.

"I don't want him to know…" River began sobbing again. "He'll be angry…"

"River." Amy said sympathetically moving to allow her daughter to hold her hands. "He's not going to be mad at you… this isn't your fault…"

It was then that River screamed.

The Doctor came storming through the door, Anthony secure in his arms. "WHAT HAPPENED?" He yelled, trying to take in the scene at once.

"Doctor you need to calm down." Rory said quietly as he tried to soothe River the best he could.

"What… happened?" He asked as he cautiously put Anthony down on the floor before moving toward his wife.

"She's having a miscarriage." Rory said quietly as River sobbed beneath his touch.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor asked immediately. "No… this isn't what happens… not to our… I know…" It was then that the severity of the situation kicked in. His own mother had regenerated when she miscarried one of his siblings and so he knew exactly what the stakes were. The Doctor suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

He stood frozen, staring at River. His hearts were ripped in half and he couldn't think straight. He knew that he had met Jessica… but he didn't know whether or not she was a fixed point. She could disappear in this moment.

"Doctor…. I'm so sorry." River said as she whimpered in pain.

The Doctor immediately shook his head before moving to the bed to hold River. He pulled her into his arms and she clutched onto him tightly.

"It's not your fault." He whispered quietly. "I'm so sorry I let you go through this alone… it's not fair... everything is going to be fine… no matter what happens…" He continued to try to comfort her.

"What if I die?" She asked him quietly.

The Doctor shook his head before he pressed his lips into her hair multiple times. "I'm not going to let that happen."

River screamed again, pain searing through her abdomen. "I was going to tell you." She said quietly through her tears. "I was… I really was…"

The Doctor hushed her. "It's okay. I understand. You didn't get a chance. I've been incredibly dense, I should have given you more of my time..."

River whimpered once more.

"Rory…" The Doctor looked up at him. "I don't know a lot about what it is that usually kills them… but please… try to help her."

"I'll do the best I can." Rory promised him quietly. "River… we're going to have to keep you nourished and hydrated." He told her gently. "I know it's going to be hard… But you've got to fight…"

River nodded.

"For now, get some rest. When you wake up we'll work on some nourishment." Rory said gently as he kissed his daughter's cheek.

Amy had picked up Anthony and was trying to comfort her distressed son.

"Come on Amy." Rory said quietly as he led her out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Amy and Rory went to work on their separate tasks, Amy putting Anthony to bed, Rory working on researching ways to help River.

* * *

Amy found Rory in his study nearly an hour later.

"Hey." Rory said gently as he stood up to pull Amy into a hug. "Are you okay?"

Amy nodded, the tears she had been holding in finally falling.

"Amy…" He said quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay… I'm doing my best… I'm going to do everything I can to help River…"

Amy nodded as she held Rory tightly. "We can't lose her… not again."

_**Author's Note: I'm really sorry this took so long to upload? Honestly I've just changed this chapter so many times… This is my favorite version so far. I've got multiple unused chapters at this point… Possibly I'll post extras after this story is done? Is that something you would be interested in? Let me know!**_


	12. Happy Birthday

The Doctor sat in silence with River in his arms. _She was alive_. That was really all he could think about. River was alive. Tired, in a lot of pain, but alive. The baby was gone, but River wasn't. It had been nearly a week of back and forth on whether or not she would survive, but she had.

River woke up and interrupted his thoughts. "Doctor." She said quietly as she tried to stretch her muscles out.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her quietly.

River thought about it for a minute. "Not bad." She replied honestly. "I'm sore… but nothings in throbbing pain…"

The Doctor smiled before leaning down so his lips met hers. "You… are wonderful." He informed her reverently.

"Where's mum?" River asked softly as she examined The Doctors face.

"She went to the market with Anthony. They'll be back soon." He replied quietly. "Do you want something to eat?"

River shook her head. "I'm really not hungry."

The Doctor nodded as he gently took her hand in his. "I'm sorry River."

River shook her head once more. "I really don't want to have this conversation." She said quietly. "It just wasn't the right time I guess. If the Universe meant for us to have a child right now, we would have one."

The Doctor looked at her, trying to hide his worry. "We can try again…" He said quietly.

River shook her head. "Doctor…" She said quietly. "I'm not a mother."

"River you would be a wonderful mother… the best mother." The Doctor tried to convince her.

"I don't want a baby right now!" River suddenly snapped. "I almost died! I don't know if I'll ever want a baby!"

The Doctor was taken aback. He sighed before getting up from the bed. "I'll be back in a moment." He said before going out of the room and heading for the kitchen.

He poured himself a glass of milk and sat down on the counter as he drank it.

"Doctor!" Amy's voice rang through the apartment as the front door opened. "Anthony has something to tell you!"

The Doctor didn't respond, but waited for Amy to find him. It only took a few seconds as Amy needed to put away groceries anyway.

"Doctor?" She asked him gently. "What's wrong?" She asked immediately, assuming the worst.

"I'm just thinking." He said quietly as Anthony grabbed onto his trousers. He gently picked up the toddler and held him in his arms.

"Doctor River's fine…" Amy reminded him.

The Doctor nodded. "But she's never going to want to have another baby. She's too frightened."

Amy smiled sympathetically. "She's terrified Doctor." She reminded him quietly. "I didn't want a baby for years after we lost Melody. It's just going to take time."

"We don't have time!" He replied angrily. He had been concerned before when he realized River had been pregnant because it was too early. The TARDIS had landed them in 1956, March. Jessica would be born there in a year.

"What do you mean we don't have time?" Amy asked suspiciously.

"Spoilers." The Doctor said quietly.

"Wait a minute… Have you met your child?" Amy asked immediately intrigued.

"It's a long story and I really shouldn't know about any of it." The Doctor admitted. "I don't even know if it's a fixed point or not."

"Everything will work out." Amy said, sounding very sure of herself. "In the meantime why don't you take Anthony to see his older sister."

The Doctor got down from the counter and took Anthony with him to the bedroom River was in. "River…" The Doctor said quietly as he opened the door. He found her wide awake and sitting up in bed.

"River!" Anthony said excitedly.

River smiled at her little brother, but The Doctor could see the pain she was hiding inside.

The Doctor sat in the window seat as he watched his wife interact with her little brother. He honestly couldn't see how River couldn't know how wonderful of a mother she would be. He understood that she was scared, and justifiably so, but she loved spending time with Anthony.

"Doctor?" River asked him quietly as she continued to play with her brother.

"Yes?" He replied, intrigued immediately.

"Do you want… a baby?" She asked nervously.

The Doctor didn't know what to say. He didn't want to pressure her, but he also knew he couldn't lie to her.

"Earlier today I didn't mean to not let you speak… You lost a baby too. It's not fair of me to determine today that we can't ever have another child." River said quietly, unable to meet his eyes.

The Doctor shook his head. "Shhhh." He hushed her. "We don't have to decide today… I would just like it if the possibility wasn't entirely ruled out."

River nodded as she pulled Anthony into her arms tightly. "I love you." She mouthed to him as she held her brother.

"I love you too." He mouthed back.

* * *

It was nearly a month later and the progress on the TARDIS wasn't much. River and The Doctor had begun to fabricate their lives in New York so that Amy and Rory's neighbor's wouldn't question their presence there long term.

The Doctor and River had decidedly become different relatives of Amy and Rory's. River was Rory's sister and The Doctor was obviously her husband. They were staying with Amy and Rory while The Doctor was taking classes at Columbia University.

Amy and River were busy preparing for Anthony's fourth birthday party that night while The Doctor was 'at his classes' and Rory was at work.

"Anthony what kind of cake do you want?" River called to her little brother.

He quickly ran from his bedroom where he had been playing with his toys and to the kitchen where his sister and mother were waiting. "Chocolate!" He said excitedly as he bounded through the door and into River's legs.

"Careful there." River said gently as she picked up her little brother. "Are you sure you don't want strawberry?" She teased him.

Anthony made a disgusted face. "No." He said as he stuck out his tongue. "It's pink." He said disgustedly.

"Now there's nothing wrong with pink." Amy reminded him. "It's not just a girl color, boys can like pink too."

Anthony shook his head. "No they can't." He informed his mother importantly.

Amy shook her head as she pulled out the cocoa from the cabinet. "Alright chocolate it is."

Anthony smiled as he wrapped his arms lovingly around his older sister's neck. "Can I have kisses?" He asked his older sister.

River laughed. "Of course." She said before pressing kisses all over her brother's face.

Anthony giggled before he shook his head and hid his face in her chest.

"Alright mister." River said firmly. "It is time for your nap."

"NONONONONONONONONO!" Anthony began to try to struggle against River's grip. River tried her best but stopped short when Anthony's foot collided with her abdomen.

River groaned, visibly in pain as she tried to keep her brother from falling to the ground.

Amy quickly grabbed Anthony from River's arms and set him on the ground before returning her attention to River. "Breathe… It's okay." Amy tried to comfort her daughter.

River nodded feeling the pain begin to ease away. She wanted everything to be back to normal. Instead there were constant reminders about what had happened and she couldn't seem to escape them.

"I'm sorry." Anthony cried quietly.

"Oh sweetie." River tried to calm him. "It's okay."

Amy leaned down to pick him up. "It's alright it was an accident Anthony. Thank you for saying I'm sorry though. That was very thoughtful of you."

Anthony nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I love you River." He said as he leaned from his mother's arms to kiss River's cheek.

River smiled. "I love you too mister." She replied. "Now go get some sleep before your birthday party tonight." She instructed him sternly, causing him to go with his mother without any complications.

It was then that the front door opened. "River!" The Doctor's voice rang through the apartment.

"In the kitchen." River replied just loudly enough so he could hear her.

The Doctor came into the kitchen and saw her sitting on the counter with her hand pressed to her abdomen. "Are you alright?"

River nodded softly. "I'm just sore."

The Doctor gently wrapped his arms around his wife as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm sorry." He apologized genuinely. "For everything."

River nodded before she captured his lips in hers. The Doctor was taken off guard. River had been rather against touching since the miscarriage and she hadn't instigated it herself since awhile beforehand. His hands slowly slid to the small of her back as River's wrapped around his neck. Eventually their lips parted, both breathing heavily.

"I love you." River said quietly as she pressed her forehead against his.

"I love you too." The Doctor returned the sentiment quietly.

"I don't want you to think I don't anymore just because of the way I've been behaving." River admitted softly. "I'm just…"

The Doctor shook his head to quiet her. "Take all the time you need River." River once again captured his lips passionately.

It was then that Amy returned to the kitchen. She awkwardly stood in the doorway for a moment before coughing to alert her daughter and son-in-law of her presence.

The Doctor immediately jumped away and River laughed. "She's not going to kill you Sweetie." River reminded him softly.

"Yeah… but she's your mum…" The Doctor replied awkwardly as he helped River down from the counter.

River immediately began helping her mother work on Anthony's birthday cake while continuing her conversation with her husband. "Any progress on the TARDIS?"

The Doctor shook his head. "She's mad at me so she's not being incredibly cooperative about letting me repair her."

"Well I did tell you that flying her into New York was a bad idea." River reminded him. "You completely tore her in half."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "She's been to New York before." He whined quietly.

"Yes… But you created a paradox in New York last time we were here." River reminded him once again.

The Doctor sighed angrily. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to admit he was wrong.

"Doctor will you go to the market and pick me up some cream cheese for the frosting?" Amy interrupted what she was sure could quickly become a row between the two of them.

The Doctor nodded before leaving the kitchen without as much as a glance towards River.

River sighed as she slid the cake into the oven.

"Is everything alright between you and The Doctor?" Amy asked her daughter sympathetically.

River shrugged as the two of them headed into the living room.

"Things just seem like they're becoming increasingly tense." Amy informed her daughter of her observation.

River looked down, seemingly increasingly interested in her hands. "It's nothing." She mumbled quietly.

"River…" Amy coaxed her quietly.

River shook her head. "It's embarrassing." She admitted quietly.

"What happened?" Amy tried again.

River sighed. "I thought I was… I thought I was ready…"

"For?" Amy asked, slightly confused.

River took in a deep breath. "You know… _ready_." She tried again, this time her mother understood.

"Oh." Amy said quietly.

"It hurt… a lot... But I didn't have the heart to tell him that." River admitted softly. "He found out when I started bleeding again."

"River you have got to learn to talk to each other." Amy reminded her sympathetically. "This whole don't let him see the pain concept you two have going on just isn't healthy."

River tried to stop them but there were soon tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry." She apologized as she quickly wiped her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked her as she moved over closer to her daughter so she could gently rub her back.

"The Doctor… he wanted that baby so much." River admitted quietly. "I feel like I need to give him another one."

Amy shook her head as she pulled her into her arms. "You shouldn't feel obligated to carry a child for him sweetheart. Having a child needs to be something the two of you choose to do together."

River nodded softly. "I just…"

Amy shook her head once more. "No buts." She informed her daughter. "Wait until you're really ready, for a child. Then talk about it."

River nodded. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem River." Amy assured her quietly. "You're my only daughter. I have to help you."

River smiled before once again relaxing into her mother's arms.

* * *

"…Happy Birthday dear Anthony! Happy Birthday to you!" The group in the room sang as Anthony stood up onto his chair to blow out all four candles in one try.

"I did it Mummy I did it!" Anthony informed his mother excitedly.

River smiled as she watched her little brother enjoy the birthday she hadn't ever had. On her fourth birthday she had been being trained to kill The Doctor. She shook her head, trying to release the memories from her mind, without much luck.

The Doctor came around behind her and wrapped his arms gently around her waist.

River immediately looked up at him and forced a smile.

"Happy Birthday Melody Pond." He whispered quietly.

River turned around and smacked his chest. "Stop it." She said through gritted teeth.

"What?" The Doctor asked her honestly as he handed her a piece of cake. "It is…"

"Doctor!" River insisted. "We celebrate my birthday from when I regenerated. It's Anthony's birthday alright?"

"River it's not fair to you…" The Doctor tried to protest when one of the neighbors approached them.

"Hello!" Mrs. Anne Farnsworth greeted the two of them. "How are your studies going John?" She asked The Doctor with interest.

The Doctor had taken to his favorite human identity to avoid any suspicion because of his name. "Well." He replied immediately. "I'm thoroughly enjoying my classes at the University."

Anne nodded in approval before turning to River. "Why don't you come join the ladies in the living room?" She suggested, pointing to where Amy and several other women were gossiping.

The Doctor nudged her and she smiled. "Of course." She said before gently pecking The Doctor's cheek and following Anne over to the living room and sitting down next to Amy on the couch.

"Did you hear that Elizabeth had her twins last week?" One woman named Lucy asked them excitedly as she rubbed her own slightly extended abdomen lovingly.

"How are they doing?" Amy asked with what sounded like genuine interest.

"Two girls, Stacey and Michelle." Lucy informed the group.

"My oldest, Steven is heading off to University in the Fall." Anne informed them excitedly. "He got into Stamford and is going to study law."

River was barely paying attention to the conversation until she heard her name. "I'm sorry?" She asked, indicating that she hadn't heard the question she had been asked.

"What about you River?" a woman named Kathleen asked her. "Do you and John have any children?"

River swallowed nervously. "No." She said with a small smile.

"Well when?" Anne insisted. "When are you two having a baby? I'm sure any child of the two of you would be wonderful."

"Thank you." River said awkwardly as she tried to ignore the question.

"Honestly it's the end of the summer, winter is such a better season to be expecting during Evan and I might have another." A woman named Grace suggested. "It's a good time."

River shifted uncomfortably, hoping that Amy could sense that she was willing for a subject change.

"Out with it River." Anne insisted. "Honestly by the way you're behaving I would think you're expecting now."

River sat frozen for a moment before she just smiled and shrugged.

All of the women gasped and began chattering amongst each other, several of the women offering their congratulations to River.

Amy looked at River, her eyes boring a hole into her soul. "River will you help me get some more refreshments from the kitchen?" She asked her insistently.

River nodded before following Amy into the kitchen.

"What was that?" Amy asked her, eyes wide.

River rolled her eyes. "I don't know."

"You're seriously going to let them all think that you're pregnant?" She asked her unbelievingly.

"Well…" River said quietly.

"River!" Amy insisted.

"What do you want me to go out there and tell a bunch of strangers that I just almost died from a miscarriage?" River asked her pointedly.

Amy sighed. "You have a valid point… But there are people out there that will tell nearly everyone in town you're pregnant. They're going to notice if you don't start showing in the next couple of months."

River sighed as she sat down at the small table in the kitchen. "Not if The Doctor actually manages to get us out of here sometime soon." She pointed out quietly.

"River…" Amy said quietly as Anne came into the kitchen, causing River to jump up from the chair and grab a tray from the counter.

"What is taking you two so long?" Anne asked as she took one of the trays River had picked up from her. "You really shouldn't be carrying so much so early in your condition."

That was what it took for River to snap. She dropped the tray she had been carrying and ran out of the kitchen, straight past everyone at the party, and out the front door.

The Doctor immediately stormed into the kitchen. "What happened?" He asked Amy, his eyes flaming with anger and concern.

Amy shook her head. "I'm sorry Anne I've got to go." She said as she set the trays down on the counter and the two of them quickly headed to the front door. Amy whispered something to Rory quickly before her and The Doctor quickly made their way out of the apartment.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked her as they ran down the stairs of the building.

"It's a long story… But it ended with all of the women thinking she was pregnant. She's hurt Doctor. That's what it ultimately comes down to." She told him quickly.

"Why would they think she's…?" The Doctor asked, clearly confused.

"Doctor there are more important things to worry about right now!" Amy reminded him fiercely.

The Doctor nodded before the two of them quickly ran out of the apartment building in search of River.

_**Author's Note: I hope you're all enjoying the story. Please review!**_


	13. Communication

They found her in a bar. She was drunk out of her mind and the moment she saw her mother's ginger hair come through the door she collapsed in tears.

Amy quickly helped her to the back of the bar and into the women's room which she locked as soon as they were in there. "River." Amy said sympathetically as she watched her daughter curl up on the floor, sobbing. "Sweetheart you need to calm down." Amy said as she wet a paper towel before crouching down to press the cold cloth to her daughter's forehead. "You don't get drunk… This is so not you."

River moaned as she sat up with her mother's help. "The nineteen fifties aren't exactly the greatest era to get anti-depressants." River said quietly.

"Sweetheart." Amy said sympathetically. "I knew you weren't taking this as well as you had been trying to convince me."

River bit her lip nervously. "I wanted that baby so much." River began to confess. "I was going to tell The Doctor the morning I started cramping… But then I was just too scared. And I don't think he trusts me anymore. Why should he? I don't deserve him."

Amy quietly began to comfort her daughter. "He loves you River."

"I don't know if he does." River admitted.

Amy shook her head with a smile. "Just the way he looks at you River. He is so entirely entranced by you and your wellbeing. The moment you ran out today he was so scared I thought he would be sick."

River smiled slightly, still too drunk to do anything but complain about things. "Can we go home?"

Amy nodded. "We're going to have to meet The Doctor first."

"Alright." River agreed quietly before she allowed her mother to help her up.

* * *

After meeting Doctor at a specific street corner the three of them made their way slowly back to Amy and Rory's apartment.

It was nearing midnight when Amy opened the door revealing more than one surprise. Rory and Anthony were both still awake, and Anthony was sitting in Anne Farnsworth's lap.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he and Rory made eye contact. They quickly exchanged glances before Mrs. Farnsworth could turn around and see the state River was in.

"To bed with you Mrs. Smith." The Doctor said loudly as he quickly escorted her to their bedroom.

"What happened to her?" Anne asked Amy as Amy picked Anthony out of her lap.

"She's just feeling overwhelmed." Amy said honestly. "Thank you for helping Rory clean up." She said as she noted the clean apartment.

"Well I figured you could use the extra help with River in her condition." Anne said as she was escorted to the door by Amy.

Rory gave Amy a questioning look which she shook her head at as she said goodbye to their neighbor, tightly shutting the door behind her. "Holy crap." She said quietly under her breath. "As nice of a place as this is for us to live sometimes I miss being able to just say things that haven't become socially acceptable yet." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"River?" Anthony asked his mother hopefully.

Amy sighed as she shook her head. "River's not feeling well she's gone to bed."

Anthony nodded his head seriously.

"Speaking of which." Rory said as he took his son. "It's way past your bedtime mister."

"But it's my birthday!" Anthony said with a wide smile.

Rory shook his head with a smirk. "It's actually the day after your birthday now buddy." Anthony looked as if he were going to protest but his large yawn gave away how tired he was and so he just leaned against his father's shoulder as he took him to bed.

Amy sighed before going to the guest bedroom door and knocking on it lightly.

"Come in Amy." The Doctor replied quietly as he opened the door. Revealing River, passed out on top of the bed.

"This is so not her." Amy said quietly as she gently brushed River's curls away from her face. "She's never been one to run away from pain. She's been scared before, but she doesn't do things like this."

"I know." The Doctor said quietly.

Rory then came in. "What happened?"

"She's drunk." Amy informed him blatantly.

"Well yes Amy I can see that." He pointed out. "But she's… very drunk… like something is very very wrong drunk."

"River said it herself, she has a vulnerable side that she keeps well hidden." Amy said as she watched her daughter's intense pain unfold. "She's been making an emotional dam for years, it broke."

"We have to get out of here." The Doctor said quietly. "She needs to get out of here."

"Yeah but you broke the TARDIS so that's not really an option is it?" Amy replied angrily. "Maybe that's what you should be working on, rather than needlessly hovering over her and making her feel like she owes you something."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" The Doctor replied clearly confused.

Amy looked at him angrily. "She doesn't owe you a baby Doctor." She said lividly.

"I never said she did!" The Doctor tried to defend himself.

"Amy you need to calm down…" Rory tried gently before Amy promptly slapped The Doctor across the face.

"Don't hurt her again." Amy said, her Scottish accent seething as she left the room angrily.

The Doctor looked at the Rory questioning Amy's behavior.

"I honestly don't know exactly what's been going on but I'm fairly certain is has to do with the miscarriage." Rory replied.

"That wasn't my fault!" The Doctor replied, clearly confused.

Rory shrugged. "Having children or the inability to do so is generally fairly straining for women. Particularly those of the Pond variety." He imparted his wisdom. "As much as I don't want to say this to you as she is my daughter, you are seriously out of practice on communication in your relationship. So please… just talk to her about this stuff."

The Doctor nodded as he sat down next to his wife on the bed while Rory left the room. He gently pulled her hair back into a ponytail, knowing that the chances of her vomiting the next morning were incredibly high. Then he lay down and tried to fall asleep, but he had no luck. He felt horrible about everything that had happened, and he felt even worse that she hadn't come to him with her pain.

He laid in silence all night until early in the morning he heard River groan as she quickly moved to get out of bed.

The Doctor quickly followed her and crouched down behind her as she expelled whatever had been in her stomach into the toilet. He gently rubbed her back and tried to comfort her as much as possible.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus." River said quietly as she leaned back into him, letting his arms wrap around her.

They sat quietly in the bathroom for what felt like forever before The Doctor spoke up. "Why didn't you come to me?" He asked her quietly.

"You hate endings." River said quietly.

The Doctor shook his head. "River this isn't the end for us." He said quietly. "I didn't save you from The Library to lose you over something like this."

River stared down at her hands. "I don't deserve you, you don't deserve to be stuck with me."

The Doctor quickly captured her lips in his. After a moment he pulled away to speak. "I love you River Song and I want you to be happy, no matter what that takes. You said it yourself, I'm loved by nobody more than you." River nodded quietly as the tears fell down her face. She hid her face in his chest so that he couldn't see her pain, but he could feel it in her soul. "River…" He said sympathetically as he held her tightly. "What are you thinking?"

"About us." River replied vaguely.

"Mhmm." The Doctor appreciated her comment with a smirk. "What about us?"

"Doctor I wanted that baby… I wanted it so much." She finally opened up to him. "I know I made you think I was okay, but I wasn't, and I'm not."

"I know." He said softly as he wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. "Do you want to try again?" He asked her quietly.

"I'm… I don't know?" River replied honestly.

"I think we could have a beautiful daughter." He said with a smile as he kissed her cheek.

"Or a son." She replied with her eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Well yes." He replied automatically. "But I just assumed you would want a daughter." He lied smoothly.

"I don't know if I have a preference." River said honestly as she held his hands in hers. "But you're right if we had a daughter she would be beautiful."

"You don't sound like someone who doesn't want a baby." The Doctor teased her with a smile.

"I am hung over, you really can't take anything I've said too seriously." River replied as she once again relaxed in his arms. "But you can always ask again when I'm not getting over a night of being black-out drunk."

"Speaking of that…" The Doctor began.

"I don't want to talk about it." River stopped him immediately.

"Amy said something about you wanting an antidepressant." He continued despite her protests.

River shook her head. "Please Doctor." She tried to stop him.

"River you're depressed aren't you?" He asked her quietly.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and pooling with tears. "What would you be if you were trained to kill the man you loved since you were born?"

"I'm so sorry." He said lovingly as he pulled her closer to him. "I don't want you to feel like you have to take thoughts like that somewhere else, or drown them with medication. If you want to take the medication because it makes you feel better you can. I don't want to stop you. I'll get ahold of Jack and get him to bring you some if you want it."

River looked at him in amazement. "I thought… I thought you wouldn't want to waste your time on someone who…"

The Doctor quickly quieted her with a gentle kiss. "I have all the time in the Universe River and I want to spend all of it with you."

* * *

It was a month after Anthony's birthday party and things at the Williams household hadn't slowed down but they had taken a turn for the better.

River and The Doctor were communicating openly with each other and River was looking a lot healthier. Amy and Rory however were frantically trying to find an advanced school for Anthony to enroll in.

"River did you see my pocketbook?" Amy asked from the kitchen table where she was paying bills.

River was sitting on the couch in the den reading a magazine. "No?" She replied curiously. "Did you ask Anthony? He had quite a few coins in his pockets last time I saw him."

"Anthony!" Amy called and soon the four year old emerged from his bedroom and ran into the kitchen.

"Yes mummy?" Anthony asked her sweetly as he ran over to her.

"Did you take mum's pocketbook?" Amy asked him seriously.

"Uh…" Anthony said quietly as he looked down at his bare feet.

"Anthony Vincent Williams." Amy scolded him immediately. "I need a straight answer from you, yes or no?"

Anthony nodded his head shamefully. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"Alright just go get it, and try to put all of the coins you took out of it back in it before you come back." Amy said as she stood up to stretch her back. She walked into the den to talk to her daughter. "So how's the reading?"

River rolled her eyes. "This is honestly some of the worst 'literature' I've ever read." She replied as she used air quotes around the word literature.

"So I've been meaning to tell you… But Anne and her husband are coming over for dinner tonight…" Amy said awkwardly.

River looked up at her and eyed her angrily. "Are you kidding me?" She asked her, her voice monotonous out of annoyance.

"I'm sorry I've been meaning to tell you." Amy apologized.

"She thinks I'm pregnant Amy." River reminded her.

"Yep." Amy replied as she sat down next to her daughter.

"Also this is going to mean I have to dress in period clothing." River pointed out yet another reason for her annoyance.

"I know!" Amy insisted. "Rory and Oliver are good friends no matter how annoying Anne is. We almost always have monthly dinners with them, and we cancelled for the last two months. If you don't want them questioning you…"

"Okay, okay!" River laughed. "I'm not going to be happy about it though." She replied with a huff as she hit her mother with the pillow from the couch.

"You seem happier River." Amy said as she gently set the pillow down next to her.

River nodded. "I am." She said quietly.

"I feel like you're holding back on me River." Amy said with a smirk as she looked her daughter in the eye.

River bit her lower lip. "No." She lied through her clenched teeth.

"Okay that was a blatant lie." Amy replied as she pulled her legs up and under her on the couch.

River shook her head. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing you need to worry about." She insisted.

"What is going on?" Amy asked her persistently.

River sighed before slouching into the couch and hiding her face behind the magazine she had been reading.

"What?" Amy persisted. "You're not pregnant again are you?" She asked, her eyes wide.

River shook her head with an embarrassed smile. "No… but we're trying."

Amy let out a small excited squeal. "River that's amazing!" She said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "You want this right?" She double checked immediately. "He's not rushing you into it or anything right?"

River shook her head again. "No of course not." She assured her immediately.

"I'm so excited for you!" Amy said happily. "I better be the first person to know about it." She informed her daughter immediately.

"I thought I might tell The Doctor first." River teased as she raised her eyebrows.

Amy sighed. "Alright, I guess that's fine." She replied with a smirk. "Help me with dinner?" She asked her as she stood up.

River nodded before following her mother to the kitchen.

_**Author's Note: I hope you're enjoying the story. For the record I am trying to stick with as much historical continuity as possible but because I am writing it in my free time and this ultimately isn't going to be published anywhere officially I don't have someone editing for any of those types of errors so if there are those kind of mistakes that don't have a huge effect on the story ultimately I'm not going to correct them. Please review!**_


	14. Maybe Baby

River was finishing getting dressed when The Doctor came up behind her and nuzzled his face in her neck.

"You look lovely." He said as he gently pressed his lips to her collarbone.

"I don't feel that way." River said quietly as she leaned back into him.

"Are you still feeling ill?" He asked her, feeling sorry for her. She hadn't been feeling well for a few days, and they thought it would pass, but it hadn't.

"A little. But it's nothing to worry about." River insisted.

"I always worry about you." He replied with a kiss to her neck.

River rolled her eyes as she straightened out the white blouse that she had tucked into a dark blue skirt. "I look like an idiotic housewife." She replied as she picked up several hair grips and began to pull her hair up into a tight bun.

The Doctor handed her several locks of hair that she had missed in the back which she gently took with her hands and added to the bun she had created. "You do not." He insisted. "You are beautiful."

"You have to say that." River replied as she turned around to face him.

"Yes. But I mean it." He replied before pressing his lips against hers. "Now let's get this stupid dinner over with."

"Remember. I'm four months along and the way I'm carrying shows that it's probably going to be a girl." River said seriously as she motioned to the small bump that The Doctor had helped her create with the help of a perception filter.

"Of course Mrs. Smith." He teased before kissing her once more. "Please follow me." He said before opening the door and escorting her to the living room where the Farnsworths and Amy and Rory were sitting having conversation while Anthony played in the middle of the room with a toy train that Oliver had brought for him.

"River you look wonderful!" Anne commented as The Doctor helped her sit down in one of the large armchairs.

River smiled as she placed a hand on her abdomen for good measure. "Thank you." She said, blushing slightly.

Anthony looked up at his older sister and gave her a strange look. "River's having a baby?" He asked his mother, clearly confused.

Amy looked down at her son, suddenly realizing the flaw in their plan. She felt horrible about what she was about to do, but she took in a deep breath. "Yes Aunt River's having a baby." She said firmly to her son.

Anthony shook his head. "River's my sister." He looked at his mother strangely.

The four adults looked at each other awkwardly. "Anthony you must be very tired." Rory said quickly. "Since you've already had your dinner why don't I take you to bed?" He said as he leaned down and picked up his son.

"Rory he's fine." Oliver tried to insist, he wouldn't admit it but he missed having his children at home.

Rory shook his head. "Anthony didn't get enough sleep last night. He needs to be in bed." He insisted as he took Anthony to his room, despite the young child's protests.

"So River how have you been feeling?" Anne asked her.

River took in a deep breath. "Well." She said awkwardly as she let out her breath.

"Come on Anne, the poor girl doesn't want to talk about herself." Oliver cut off his wife.

River smiled helplessly at Amy for help. "River's tired." Amy covered for her immediately. "It's been a long day. How are your sons doing?" She asked her, immediately changing the direction of the conversation.

Anne immediately began to talk about all three of her sons and what they had been doing in their lives.

Amy got up a few times to check on dinner, Rory filled in for her in the conversation. Eventually Amy emerged from the kitchen and claimed. "Dinner's ready!"

The group slowly migrated from the living room to the dining room and everyone sat down around the table as Amy laid out the plates of salmon in front of everyone at the table.

Everyone quickly dug into their meals, except for River. River sat quietly as she cut her salmon into several smaller pieces to make it appear that she had eaten some of the food off from her plate.

The Doctor could tell something was off and he gently placed one of his hands on her thigh as he leaned over so he could whisper into her ear. "Are you alright?" He asked her, genuinely concerned.

River nodded with a weak smile. "I'm fine." She blinked a couple of times as she adjusted in her chair to try to calm her stomach.

Amy was also carefully watching her daughter fidget in her chair, but she didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention to her so she didn't try to communicate with her.

River managed through about half of the meal as she tried to contribute to the conversation before she quickly excused herself and ran to the washroom.

"Excuse me." Amy said quickly as she stood up and ran after her daughter.

The Doctor coughed awkwardly before speaking. "I'm just going to go check on River and Amy." He said as he excused himself from the table and ran over to the washroom door. He gently knocked on the door. "River?" He asked quietly before Amy opened the door to let him in.

He quickly moved down so he could hold River's hair back as she dry heaved into the toilet. "River…" He said gently as he rubbed her back. "What's wrong?" He asked her quietly as he kissed her forehead.

River looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of confusion and terror. "I think I might be pregnant." She whispered.

"River this is wonderful." He said quietly as he pulled her into his arms.

She looked up at him, still clearly terrified. "But what if I'm not?" She asked him quietly, her shoulders shaking.

"Then we keep trying." He assured her quietly.

Amy handed River a glass of water which she accepted gratefully. "River how are you feeling?"

"A little better." River said quietly. "But I'm still really dizzy."

"Alright then." The Doctor said as he gently picked her up bridal style. "Let's get you into bed." Amy opened the door so that he could carry her out and to her bed.

Once The Doctor had River comfortable he went out into the hallway where Amy was waiting.

"Is she okay?" Amy asked him as she pulled him into the den.

The Doctor nodded as he pulled Amy into a hug. "She's fine. We just have to sit this out and see if her symptoms persist."

"Well we don't have to." Amy said with a smirk as she pulled away.

"I'm sorry?" He asked her, clearly confused.

"After dinner. Ask me after dinner." Amy said as she quickly made her way back to the dining room.

"Is she alright?" Rory asked Amy as she slid into her seat next to him.

Amy nodded. "She just feels a bit ill that's all."

Rory raised an eyebrow in suspicion at his wife but didn't question her. "The poor girl." Anne said sympathetically. "This hasn't been easy on her has it?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "She's going to be fine, really." He insisted with a smile.

"Well Rory, with your sister here and expecting, do you think it's more likely your parents will come to visit?" Oliver asked his friend with interest.

Rory shook his head. "Our parents haven't any interest in coming to the states. They'll stay in London."

Everyone at the table carried on conversation until nearly eleven that night when the Farnsworths finally said their good-byes and left.

"What was that with River?" Rory asked as soon as the door was closed.

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling. "She hasn't been feeling well for the past few days and she thinks she might be pregnant." He said quietly.

"Doctor I told you earlier we didn't have to wait." Amy interrupted the two of them.

"Yes of course!" The Doctor replied excitedly. "What exactly were you talking about?"

"Well you've been working on the TARDIS and you've got the lights working right?" Amy asked him.

"Yeah?" He replied, still confused.

"Well when I was pregnant with River I picked up a two pack of pregnancy tests from the chemist. I only used one of them, and I left the other one in the washroom in my room." Amy reasoned.

The Doctor jumped up excitedly. "Yes!" He exclaimed before running out the front door of the stairs.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed exasperatedly before running after him and up to the roof.

The Doctor did a double-take as soon as he was inside the TARDIS. "Amy do you happen to know where your room was?"

Amy rolled her eyes before heading down the hallway to the right of the console, passing almost every door until she reached one that had a light brown oak door with a gold doorknob. She quickly opened it and was surprised at how familiar the room felt. "The washroom is right through there." She said as she pointed to the door which The Doctor went through but Amy lingered in her room.

There was a bottle of bright blue nail polish that she had left on the nightstand and a pair of Rory's shoes had been abandoned at the end of the bed. The bed was still unmade and both Amy and Rory's pajamas were lazily folded and tossed toward the foot of the bed.

"Amy what drawer is the test in?" The Doctor called from the bathroom.

Amy finally made her way into the bathroom and saw her makeup bag sitting on the top of the counter. "Okay that is coming with us." She muttered under her breath as she zipped the bag closed and picked it up enjoying the familiar sounds of her lipsticks and nail polishes clinking against each other. She then opened the drawer that the test was in before handing the chemist bag that was in the drawer to The Doctor.

"What's that?" The Doctor asked as he pointed to the makeup bag.

"My makeup." Amy replied as she crossed her arms across her front. "Do you have a problem with that?" She asked him with a smirk.

The Doctor awkwardly looked at her. "No." He said as he swallowed his nervousness.

"You should get that to River." Amy reminded him as she pointed to the bag in his hand.

The Doctor nodded and began to head out of the TARDIS with Amy on his heels before he stopped causing Amy to run into him. "Wait… I don't know… How does this work?" He asked her awkwardly.

Amy sighed before taking the bag from him. "I'll take care of her alright?" She asked him with a gentle smile.

The Doctor nodded before both of them headed down into the apartment.

* * *

By the time Amy and The Doctor had returned to the apartment that night River was asleep, not wanting to wake her Amy had waited until the morning before taking the test to her. The Doctor had already headed up to the roof for the day and since it was a Saturday Rory was in the kitchen making pancakes for Anthony.

Amy knocked gently on River's bedroom door. When she heard a faint 'come in' from the other side of the door she opened the door slightly and slid in, firmly shutting the door behind her. River was lying on top of the freshly made bed, her eyes shut tightly and her hands both pressed firmly to her abdomen.

"Were you sick again?" Amy asked her sympathetically as she sat down on the bed next to her daughter. River simply nodded as she sighed, trying to bring her heart rate down to normal. "I brought you something." Amy said, trying to gain her attention as she set the chemist bag down between the two of them.

River opened her eyes and spotted the bag. "What's in it?" She asked tiredly.

"Open it and find out why don't you?" Amy replied with a smirk.

"Mum…" River protested, her exhaustion evident in her voice.

"It's a pregnancy test." Amy gave in as she took the box out of the bag.

"How did you…" River began to ask before Amy cut her off once more.

"I had one left on the TARDIS." Amy explained. "Just take it. That way we can know if you're pregnant or just really sick."

River nodded as Amy helped her up from the bed and into the washroom. "So I just…?" She asked awkwardly for confirmation.

"Yeah you pee on the stick and wait a couple of minutes." Amy said with a smirk. "I'll be in your room, come out when you're done."

River anxiously ripped open the package just before Amy closed the door behind herself. Amy sat down on the bed and waited. It was nearly twenty minutes before she got too anxious and she knocked on the door. "River?" She asked her nervously. When she got no response she tried again. "Melody?" She asked this time anxious for a reply. It was then that she heard a small whimper from inside and she opened the door to find River curled up on the floor with her head resting on the edge of the bathtub, tears streaming down her face.

Amy immediately sat down and pulled her into a hug. "River it's alright." She comforted her daughter as she sobbed into her shoulder. Amy glanced around the room before finding the test sitting on the edge of the tub with the word _pregnant_ in frighteningly bold font staring back at her. "Do you want me to go get The Doctor?" She asked her daughter gently.

River simply nodded as she allowed her mother to help her back into her bed. "I'll send The Doctor right in." She promised her quietly as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

"Hello Amy!" The Doctor greeted Amy when she made it to the TARDIS. "What brings you up here?"

"River took the test." Amy said bluntly. The Doctor looked up at her, his eyes wide in question. "You should go see her." Was Amy's only response.

"Is she okay?" He asked her, wanting some sort of preparation.

Amy just smiled at him. "She needs you."

_**Author's Note: Keep up the reviewing! I love getting feedback from all of you! **_


	15. Sibling Bond

The Doctor took a deep breath before he opened the door to their bedroom. He saw River's small, shaking form under the covers in their bed.

He instantly felt guilty. "River." He said quietly as he climbed onto the bed and sat so he was just behind River's back so he could gently rub soothing circles on it. "No matter what the test said River…" The Doctor began before she finally spoke up.

"I'm… pregnant." She said quietly.

The Doctor nodded before pressing his lips to her cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked her just as quietly.

"I'm scared." She admitted as she sat up so she was facing him. "I'm not Mum material."

The Doctor smiled at her. "You're going to be a wonderful mother River." He tried to comfort her.

River shook her head. "I don't even know how we're going to make this work Doctor." She said, clearly feeling stressed.

"What do you mean?" He asked her gently.

"Doctor we're trapped in the 1950s. I can't go to any doctors and medicine in this century is poor at best." River said quietly.

"You're going to be okay." The Doctor tried to comfort her.

"You're not the one that has to squeeze a person out of your bits!" River replied angrily before curling up under the covers again. "So shut up about it!"

"Oh River." The Doctor tried to apologize immediately. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to dismiss your feelings." He said honestly. River had tears running down her cheeks, something that under any normal circumstanced would have made his blood boil. But this time, it was his fault. And there was nothing he could do to fix it. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks as he pressed his lips into the crown of her head. "What are you worried about?" He asked her quietly.

"Everything." She admitted quietly. "I'm scared of being pregnant but I'm even more scared of what's going to happen after it's born. We're not parent material sweetie. We travel the universe in a time machine and fight for our lives on a regular basis."

The Doctor nodded, showing her that he understood the concerns she had voiced. "We're going to figure something out." He assured her gently. "We can stay here with your parents for as long as you'd like." He promised with a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I want to be with you. That's all I want right now." She told him quietly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and spooned behind her so that her back was flush against his chest. "Thank you." She said quietly as he pressed his lips multiple times along her neck.

The Doctor quietly hushed her. "Get some rest. We can talk about this more after you get some sleep. You look exhausted."

River nodded before settling comfortably into his arms where she fell asleep.

* * *

"Mummy!" Anthony called excitedly as he ran up to her and tugged on her dark blue skirt.

"Yes Anthony?" Amy asked him as she continued to carry the laundry basket she had been balancing on her hip toward the laundry room.

"Where's River?" He asked her expectantly.

They had arrived at the laundry room so Amy set down the basket with a sigh. "She's not feeling too well today so The Doctor is taking care of her."

"Is it because of her baby?" Anthony asked her with interest.

Amy smiled at her son. She and Rory had felt terrible about lying to him last night, but it couldn't have been avoided. "We're not sure if River's having a baby yet Anthony." She told him honestly.

Anthony shook his head, remembering what he had seen due the perception filter the night before. "I saw it." He said insistently.

Amy sighed once again, this time rolling her shoulders trying to relieve some of the tension in them. "I know Anthony." She replied as she pressed a kiss to her son's forehead. "I wish I knew how to explain this to you." She said as she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Mummy I want River." Anthony whined, this time his lip quivering in the way that it only did when he was genuinely upset rather than when he was simply trying to get attention.

"Oh sweetheart." Amy said sympathetically. She knew he had developed a rather strong bond with his older sister, but she hadn't expected him to break down so suddenly. She gently wrapped her arms around him pulling him into her arms so that his face was buried in her shoulder as he cried.

"Amy I'm home!" Rory's voice rang from the entry way.

"Back here!" Amy called back as she gently stroked her fingers through her son's soft brown hair.

When Rory saw his son's distress he quickly squatted down so he was at their level. "Hey little man what's the matter?" He asked him gently as he pressed a kiss into his hair.

"River." He said quietly as he voluntary switched from his mother's arms to his father's.

Amy sighed as she stood up to begin the wash.

"What happened to River?" Rory asked Amy seriously as he stood up with his son in his arms, clinging on to his neck tightly.

Amy shook her head. "Nothing too terrible. He just misses her." She filled Rory in on the details of Anthony's breakdown.

"Hey, why don't we make something for River?" Rory suggested remembering the new box of crayons he had in his work briefcase.

"Like what?" Anthony asked, his small hands wiping at his eyes.

"You could draw her a picture." Rory said as he walked to the kitchen, setting his son down on the table before going to grab the crayons and a piece of clean paper.

"What should I draw?" Anthony asked his father seriously once he was sitting in position to draw.

Rory was sitting across the table from him as he sorted through the mail. "What do you think River would like?" Rory replied, not looking up from what he was doing.

"I don't know." Anthony said quietly before thinking for a while. Eventually he began drawing as Amy came in to start dinner.

Amy stopped for a moment to press her lips against her husband's. "How's Anthony doing?" She asked him.

"Fine." Rory allowed. "Any word about River?"

"I just checked on them, River slept most of the day and she's just waking up." Amy reported. "She's still feeling a bit ill, but she's going to try to join us for dinner."

"That's good." Rory replied quietly.

It was then that River did emerge from her room. Anthony hopped down from the chair and grabbed his drawing that he had just finished. He quickly ran to his older sister and grabbed onto her legs.

River smiled as she took her brother's hand in her own. "How are you Anthony?" She asked her brother sincerely as they walked to the living room.

"I made you this." He said shyly as he handed the paper to his sister as they sat down on the couch, Anthony struggling a bit to climb onto River's lap. "Do you like it?"

River looked at the picture that Anthony had handed her. She smiled as she began to recognize each of the members of their family on the page. The Doctor was tall and skinny and wearing a bowtie, while River's endless mass of curls gave her away. Anthony had made sure Amy's hair was as red on the paper as it was in real life. She smiled as she identified Rory and Anthony on the page as well. "Thank you Anthony I love it." She assured him as she pulled him into a hug on her lap.

"I wanted to give you something cause I miss you." He told her as he rested his face on her shoulder.

River gently kissed her brother's forehead. "I'm sorry you missed me today." She said quietly.

"Are you really having a baby?" He asked her after a few minutes of calm silence.

River was taken aback by his question but she smiled anyway. "Yes." She replied, her voice shaking slightly.

"Your baby is going to have the best mummy." He informed her matter-of-factly.

River could feel herself starting to tear up, internally blaming her hormones she managed to speak. "I'm glad you think so."

"I think so too." The Doctor said from the doorway. He had been leaning against the frame of the archway to the living room for the past several minutes. It was remarkable how good she was with her little brother without her even being aware of it.

River blushed immediately, smiling slightly at her husband before returning her gaze to her younger brother.

"I'm sorry River." The Doctor said with a slight laugh as he moved to sit next to her. "I wasn't trying to embarrass you."

"I'm not embarrassed!" She snapped immediately as she handed Anthony to The Doctor before getting up and storming out of the room.

"River!" He called after her desperately, but it was to no avail.

"River's mad." Anthony said after a moment as he grabbed onto The Doctor's nose.

"Hey!" The Doctor cried playfully as he began to tickle him. "I know she is." He sighed after a moment. "What's your secret? How come she's never angry at you?"

"I dunno." Anthony shrugged, raising his hands up to emphasize his point. "I'm just special I guess." He informed him importantly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes… That is definitely it." He informed him with a smile.

"Okay mister Williams." Amy said as she entered the room to retrieve her son. "It's time to wash up for dinner."

"Can I wash up with The Doctor?" Anthony asked hopefully.

The Doctor cut in before Amy could respond. "I've got to go help River." He told Anthony importantly as he stood up, carefully placing Anthony down on his feet.

Anthony nodded before willingly going to wash up with his mother.

The Doctor then went to the door to him and River's bedroom. He stood outside for several minutes before gathering the courage to knock on the door. "River?" He asked gently after knocking.

"Go away." River's voice could be heard quietly.

"River I'm sorry." He apologized honestly. He felt terrible that he had hurt her so much with one comment and he didn't want to ever do it again. When she didn't respond he became concerned. "River are you alright?" He asked through the door, his hand beginning to move toward the handle, but not quite grabbing it yet. When he got no response once again his concern multiplied exponentially. "River?" He asked again as he opened the door very slowly. He was surprised when she wasn't in the bedroom and was actually in the washroom. He knocked on the door to the washroom before opening the door slowly.

River was sitting on the floor, her head resting miserably on the toilet.

"River." The Doctor said sympathetically as he grabbed a hair elastic from the counter and sat down next to her. He spent a few moments rubbing her back comfortingly before beginning to plait her hair so it wouldn't be in her face.

"Thank you." River said quietly, her eyes firmly shut as she willed her stomach to stop churning. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

The Doctor shook his head. "It's fine River. Don't worry about it." He dismissed her concerns. "I just want you to feel better."

"You and me both sweetie." River replied weakly.

A few minutes later River's stomach had seemed to settle and she had settled into The Doctor's lap while he gently rubbed circles on her abdomen. River was almost asleep when a knock sounded at the bedroom door.

The Doctor sighed as he gently stood up, keeping River in his arms so he could carry her to the bed. "You don't need to…" River had begun to protest, but he had already gently laid her down on the bed.

"River, Doctor?" Amy's voice questioned through the door as The Doctor moved quickly to open the door, which he slid through the small opening to the outside.

"Is River alright?" Amy asked, her light brown eyes filled with concern.

The Doctor sighed. "She's still sick. She was throwing up a few minutes ago."

"This doesn't feel right." Amy said quietly.

"Hey." The Doctor said quietly. "She's going to be okay." He said, rather unsure of himself as he pulled Amy into a hug.

"You don't know that." Amy replied softly. "She's terrified Doctor. You missed so much of her early life, travelling around without any of us. She's so scared of so many things, but she refuses to let you know. She's strong, but you have to remember what she was born and conditioned to become. I feel like we're never going to be able to really have River."

The Doctor held onto Amy tightly. "I wish I had been there. I'm going to regret that for the rest of my life." He admitted quietly. "But she's become a wonderful woman Amy. You shouldn't feel like she's any less than who she could have become, and it's not your fault."

Amy nodded as she backed slowly out of their embrace, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. "Thank you." She said quietly as Anthony made his way into the hallway and grabbed onto his mother's legs.

"Where's River?" Anthony asked his mother for seemingly the hundredth time that day.

Amy sighed leaning down to pick up her son from his spot around her legs. "She's not feeling well." She said as she nuzzled him so that his face was pressed against her neck.

"I want to eat dinner with River." Anthony whimpered quietly.

"Maybe tomorrow." Amy said sympathetically. "I bet The Doctor would sit next to you if you asked him nicely."

"You don't even have to ask me." The Doctor said with a smirk as he took Anthony from his mother. "Let's go eat."

_**Author's Note: Thanks everyone for reviewing I hope you're all enjoying the story! **_


	16. Hurting and Comforting

Two weeks later didn't see much improvement for River. She was continuously sick, no matter what the time of day. It was becoming difficult to keep her hydrated, not to mention nourished. When she did feel better she spent time with Amy and Anthony, usually making food.

"River do you want to make bread?" Anthony asked his sister hopefully.

River was lying on the couch in the living room in a pair of sweatpants and one of The Doctor's shirts. She had been having an okay day, but she had been becoming increasingly nauseated since lunch. River smiled sympathetically at her brother. "I'm really sorry." She said quietly.

Anthony nodded as he gently put his palm up against her cheek. "Tell your baby to be nice." He told her seriously.

River smiled and nodded. "I'll tell him right before my nap." She told him just as seriously.

Amy smiled as she came into the living room with a plate of crackers and a glass of ginger ale. "Just in case." She said as she set it down on the coffee table.

"Thanks Mum." River said quietly, gladly accepting the blanket her mother was offering her. Late August was surprisingly cold this year and River simply found her body wasn't regulating her temperature as consistently.

"Are you feeling any better?" Amy asked her hopefully.

River sighed. Ultimately her body wasn't taking the pregnancy very well, and her emotions were way out of check. That morning she and The Doctor had had a row that should have ended in the record books. She could tell Amy wasn't trying to address that specifically, but it had been all that was on her mind. "I feel awful about what I said." She admitted quietly.

"Oh sweetheart." Amy said gently, immediately moving to console her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

River shook her head. "When I told him he would never understand… And I told him to go away. And I feel horrible about what I said. But I'm scared he's not going to come back tonight."

"River." Amy said quietly as she gently kissed her daughter's cheek. "He's going to come back."

River shook her head. "This isn't going to be this easy to just get over. I said something I really shouldn't have."

"River he loves you more than anything." Amy assured her. "Whatever it was…"

"I told him that he had ruined me when he didn't rescue me from Demon's Run." River admitted quietly as Anthony climbed into her lap. "I didn't mean it… But I said it in the heat of the moment."

Anthony placed a sloppy kiss on his sister's cheek. "It's okay River. Doctor loves you."

River looked down at her little brother, with tears in her eyes. "I hurt him though. And sometimes you can hurt people that love you enough that they don't anymore."

Amy shook her head quickly. "The Doctor just needs to blow off some steam. Give him a bit." She said as she gently set Anthony on the floor so she could pull River into her arms. "You just need to worry about feeling better. Can I get you anything?"

River shook her head as she settled into her mother's arms. Soon enough she had fallen asleep. Amy didn't have the heart to wake her daughter so she settled for allowing Anthony to turn on the telly and spend a lazy afternoon in the living room.

* * *

They were finishing up dinner that evening, River had actually felt well enough to eat and had thoroughly enjoyed her chicken and potatoes. However, The Doctor hadn't returned.

"Mummy can I stay up late tonight?" Anthony asked his mother hopefully.

Rory answered for her. "No Anthony, you're starting school in the morning." He reminded him. "Why don't you go get your pajamas on and them you can come back and say goodnight?"

River smiled slightly from her spot at the kitchen sink as she washed the dishes. She scrubbed at a pan anxiously as she thought about her future child. Would The Doctor even be around for her and the baby, or would she be raising them alone?

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped her head around to see Rory's hand gently resting on her shoulder, a sympathetic smile on his face. "He'll come back." He said quietly.

River bit her lip as she allowed her father to pull her into his arms. "What if he doesn't?"

"It's been less than a day River. Just… give him some time." Rory advised quietly. "When your mother and I had problems it just took time and communication."

"And The Doctor." River whispered quietly.

Rory shook his head. "Hey, don't think like that." He quieted her fears. "Just try to get some rest tonight, you need it."

River nodded, moving back to the sink to continue scrubbing the bowl.

Amy came over and stilled her daughter's work with a hand on her arm. "Go to bed sweetheart. It's late. You've had a long day."

River nodded before placing the bowl into the hot soapy water, and dried her hands on the towel sitting next to the sink.

"Goodnight River." Anthony said excitedly as he ran back into the kitchen, now wearing his pajamas. He ran right up to his sister and hugged her legs tightly.

"Goodnight sweetie." River said as she pressed a kiss to her brother's forehead.

Amy picked up Anthony and he giggled as she hiked him onto her hip. "Goodnight River." Amy said to her daughter, her face clearly showing sympathy.

"I think I'll stay up for just a few more minutes, maybe read something in the den." River said quietly, feeling sick to her stomach at the idea of going to bed without her husband, or perhaps it was morning sickness, she wasn't sure but she felt horrible.

"I'll be in there as soon as we have Anthony down." Rory said. "I've got some research I have to finish tonight."

River nodded before making her way down the hallway and through the large den door. She quickly scanned the books along the shelves before pulling out a copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_ before settling into the large leather armchair to read.

Nearly half an hour later Rory entered the den and smiled when he saw River curled up in the chair, asleep. He picked up a blanket from the basket of blankets and pillows in the corner and gently laid it down on top of his daughter.

As he worked on his research he could hear her stirring, but she wasn't waking. It was nearly one in the morning when Rory finally finished the research he needed. He put his books away and headed to bed. He stopped immediately when he saw River visibly shaking in her sleep. She was mumbling quietly and Rory felt awful.

He sighed before leaving the room. However, instead of as he first intended he didn't head to his bedroom, he went to the front door. He quietly put his shoes on and unlocked the front door before quietly sneaking out into the hallway. He moved down the hallway to the roof stairway and made his way to the roof. When he got there he was surprised to see that the TARDIS had moved. It was still on the roof, but it was now in a different spot, by quite a large amount.

Rory quickly made his way to the TARDIS and opened the door. The Doctor was fiddling around below the console. Rory watched him for a few moments before going down the stairs, and standing with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Rory!" The Doctor said excitedly. "Did you see I flew the TARDIS?!" He asked him, completely avoiding mentioning the terrifyingly cross look on Rory's face.

Rory didn't respond.

"Is there something I'm missing?" The Doctor asked hesitantly.

"Perhaps my daughter?" Rory replied angrily.

Worry immediately crossed The Doctor's face. "What did something happen?" He asked immediately.

"You abandoned her!" Rory replied, clearly losing his cool.

The Doctor shook his head. "No… I mean I didn't mean to… What time is it?" He asked nervously.

"About one-thirty in the morning." Rory replied.

The Doctor swore under his breath. "I didn't realize I had been up here for so long." He said, feeling terrible. "Please tell me River got some sleep today."

Rory looked at him, feeling rather cross about his blatant inability to keep track of the time. "She's asleep right now, but it's not a particularly restful one."

The Doctor sighed. "She's going to hate me for this." He said miserably as he quickly cleaned up the mess he had made under the console. He was about to run up the stairs when Rory grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You better have one hell of an apology ready. You hurt my little girl and if you do it one more time, there will be hell to pay." He said angrily through his teeth.

The Doctor gulped before nodding and slowly following Rory up the stairs and out of the TARDIS.

* * *

Rory had directed The Doctor toward the den as they had arrived back in the apartment. He stood nervously outside the door, wondering exactly what would be waiting for him on the other side. After about ten minutes he opened the door slowly to reveal River sleeping restlessly on the same leather chair she had been in when Rory had left.

The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He moved over so he was right next to her and gently kissed her on the forehead before he carefully picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. After slowly changing River into a large white nightgown he laid her in the bed and tucked her under the covers.

She appeared to be slightly more content than she had been before, but she still looked lost and lonely, similarly to how she had appeared as a little girl.

The Doctor sighed before changing into his own pajamas and slipping into bed beside her. He carefully made sure that he wouldn't touch River if he shifted slightly while asleep, before allowing himself to slip into a much needed sleep.

* * *

He was woken up by a sharp slap to his face. He looked up to see River's eyes, filled with tears, staring back at his. The Doctor immediately sat up and opened his mouth to apologize, but he wasn't able to get a word out before River spoke.

"Where the hell were you?" She asked him angrily.

"I was in the TARDIS. I'm sorry I got sidetracked by the time, it was an honest mistake." He said, his face clearly showing just how sorry he was.

River's eyes softened slightly but she kept her angry stance. "Why were you in the TARDIS for so long? You missed dinner and I had to go to bed by myself."

"I got her to fly." He answered her excitedly, with a ridiculous grin on his face.

River couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry River. I really am. I promise you it wasn't some sort of rebellion of mine because of our row. I honestly deserved it. I shouldn't have brought up what I did." He profusely apologized.

River nodded slowly, her eyes filling with tears.

"River, no don't cry." The Doctor hushed her nervously as he gently wrapped his arms around her. "River it's alright. I'm here. I'm so sorry." He whispered into her ear as he gently kissed her neck between each comforting phrase. After she had stopped crying he spoke again. "How's our little time baby doing in there?" He asked her quietly.

"Causing its mother grief." River replied just as quietly. "I'm just hoping this morning sickness stays in the morning."

It was then that The Doctor looked at the time. "River you need your sleep."

She looked at the lock as well, observing it was nearly four in the morning. "If I go to sleep I'll just wake up sick." She sighed.

The Doctor kissed her forehead. "I know." He said sympathetically. "But you'll just fall asleep and feel worse all day if you don't get enough sleep tonight." He pointed out.

"When did you become so domestic?" River teased tiredly. "Paying attention to my pregnancy symptoms with such fine detail?"

"I don't consider myself domestic… I consider myself a thoughtful husband to the most wonderful woman in the universe." The Doctor said as the two of them began to settle in beneath the covers.

"Some people would consider that domestic." River replied quietly as she felt his arm warmly wrap around her abdomen, with his palm resting just above her pelvis.

"I love you River." He whispered quietly.

"I love you Doctor."

_**Author's Note: Hello all! So it occurred to me after the slew of reviews I received after the last update that a lot of you don't know that I have severe chronic illnesses that unfortunately leads to sporadic updates on my fanfics. I do try to update as often as possible, but when I'm sick it's just hard to get things updated. I'm glad to hear you're all enjoying this so much. Please review! **_


	17. Halloween Part I

****Two And a Half Months Later****

"Anthony you need to stop running!" Amy called after her overly energetic four year old. She had been unsuccessfully trying to get him into his Halloween costume for nearly an hour. "Get back here right now!" She howled, her Scottish accent becoming increasingly obvious.

"Anthony!" River called to her brother from her location in the kitchen. She had been in there all day preparing food for the Halloween party that Amy and Rory were hosting that evening.

Anthony, hoping his sister was calling him to taste something, ran directly into her trap. As soon as he was through the door Amy grabbed onto him.

"Gotcha!" Amy exclaimed. "Now you need to tell me what you're going to be for Halloween."

"No!" Anthony replied immediately as he squirmed against his mother's arms.

"Alright then you're going as a pumpkin." Amy replied as she released her son so he could once again return to his running around the apartment.

River smirked at her mother as she set a pan of mini quiches on the counter.

"Don't get too happy, you're going to be in this situation soon enough." She teased her daughter as she washed her hands so she could begin to help River with food preparation.

River let her hand rest gently on her slightly raised abdomen. "Yeah." She said quietly.

"Hey." Amy interrupted her thoughts. "Are you feeling alright?"

River nodded with a smile. "The baby's just moving around a lot. It's a bit disconcerting, realizing it's a real, moving baby in there." She admitted quietly.

"Is the baby kicking yet?" Amy asked with interest as she leaned against the counter.

River nodded once again, this time her smile huge. "The Doctor felt the baby kick for the first time this morning."

"So that's why he's been in such a good mood." Amy said with her eyebrows raised.

River shrugged. "That may have had something to do with it. There may also have been a small celebration afterwards." River teased with raised eyebrows.

"You two are honestly the worst." Amy replied as she rolled her eyes.

"If I remember correctly you and Rory weren't particularly subtle about your…" River began to retort when Rory came into the kitchen.

"What are you two talking about?" He asked with interest as he grabbed one of the mini quiche from the tray on the counter.

"Nothing." The two of them replied in unison.

Rory raised his eyebrows but didn't question them. "The Doctor's on his way down. He's made excellent progress on the TARDIS today." He informed them as he picked up another quiche.

"Rory stop eating the food!" Amy admonished him. "Your daughter has been in here all day working on food for your work party."

"Your friends are coming too." Rory pointed out.

River rolled her eyes as her parent's argument. She honestly didn't mind cooking for their parties. It gave her something to focus on other than the water retention in her ankles and how sore her breasts were.

"River tell Rory you aren't our housekeeper." Amy insisted, they had been arguing for quite some time, and River had tuned them out until she heard her name.

"Mum." River replied with a smirk. "I'm not about to take sides."

"You can take my side." A teasing voice offered as The Doctor entered the kitchen.

"Mmmmm." River hummed quietly as she continued to work on the food preparations.

The Doctor moved over so he was behind her and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you making?"

"Currently caramel for the caramel apples." River replied as she continued to mix the sweet liquid in the pan.

"Oh I love caramel apples!" The Doctor exclaimed as he grabbed a spoon from the drawer next to the stove and stuck it into the caramel.

River gently whacked his hand. "And that's why I'm making them, so there are actually some left when I'm done."

"I just want to taste." He pouted quietly.

River smiled as she took the caramel off the stove and set the pan on a cloth on the kitchen table. "Help me dip these and then you can have one." She instructed as she grabbed the tray of apples, already on skewers, ready to dip into the hot caramel.

The Doctor helped her with her task, eying her and noting her increasing discomfort as they continued on. "Are you sure you're feeling alright River?" He asked her as they finished dipping the apples.

River sighed. "I'm just… You know how I'm overly self-aware?" She said as she sat down on the chair The Doctor pulled out for her.

"Of course. Kovarian made you that way so that you would feel exactly how powerful you are." The Doctor summarized a conversation they had had many times. River often felt self-conscious due to just how aware of everything that was going on in her body she was. Every movement, pain, and emotion she experienced seemed to affect her ten times more than they should. However, she managed to keep it all hidden. All part of her training.

"I'm just so very aware of the pregnancy symptoms." She admitted quietly as she gently rubbed circles on her stomach.

"How's the little one doing in there?" The Doctor asked her with a genuine smile.

"Very active." She replied as she looked down at her abdomen seriously. "It just feels very strange, I can tell there's another person in there, and it's taking an awful lot of my energy."

The Doctor kissed her gently in response. River smiled against his lips. "You're wonderful River." The Doctor said honestly as he gently put his hand over hers on her stomach. "Can I do anything for you?"

River smiled but shook her head. "Just don't stop being as wonderful as you have been." She replied as he kissed her on the forehead.

"You two are disgusting." Amy teased as she walked into the kitchen with Rory behind her.

River laughed. "There is nothing wrong with loving my husband." She replied with a smirk.

Amy was about to reply when Anthony came running in, entirely naked except for his pants. "Anthony!" Amy exclaimed as she picked up her son. "Where are your orange sweats? I finished sewing the pumpkin face on it for you!"

"I dunno." Anthony shrugged.

"Well then why are you running around in your pants?" Amy asked him, trying to contain her laughter.

"I dunno." Anthony repeated, this time clinging onto his mother's neck in embarrassment.

"Awwww." River said sympathetically as she carefully got up from her chair and moved to gently rub Anthony's back. "It's okay Anthony." She comforted him quietly.

Anthony and River's relationship had always been a special one. The two of them had almost instantly bonded, and they found instant comfort in each other.

"I want River." Anthony whimpered quietly.

"Come here you." River said as she gently took her little brother from their mother. "What's the matter?" She asked him seriously.

"River you shouldn't be lifting…" The Doctor started before seeing the glare his wife had shooting at him.

"I'm fine." She stopped him as she pressed her lips into her brother's soft brown hair. "Let's go find your pumpkin costume." She said as she secured her brother on her hip and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'll go help them." Amy dismissed herself, leaving Rory and The Doctor in the kitchen.

Rory was still smiling from the last interaction between River and The Doctor.

"What?" The Doctor asked, rather defensively.

"You just seem so perturbed by River's reaction." He pointed out.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You really don't have to use such a grand vocabulary Rory."

"You honestly thought she was just going to put Anthony down?" Rory questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Of course not." He replied angrily.

"Don't pout Doctor." Amy said as she came back into the kitchen. "It's really not your style."

"Are you all just ganging up on me?" The Doctor asked with a smile.

"Definitely." River answered him as she brought Anthony, now decked in his Halloween costume, into the kitchen.

The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her as she set Anthony down on the floor.

"Behave yourself." River insisted immediately.

Doctor pouted for a moment before getting up and gently kissing her.

"Ewwww." Anthony stuck out his tongue.

River widened her eyes. "You behave yourself too." She teased.

"No." Anthony replied.

River sighed as she relaxed when The Doctor wrapped his arms gently around her. "Do you want to get ready?" He asked her quietly, obviously referring to if she wanted to get into their costumes.

River groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Yes." Amy replied for him. "We're going trick-or-treating with Anthony in an hour.

River sighed before taking The Doctor's hands in hers. "Well I guess now's better than never."

"That's the spirit." He teased as he pressed his lips to her cheek.

"Shut up."

* * *

Trick-or-Treating had been extremely successful, and tiring. Anthony had fallen asleep the moment his head hit his pillow, and River felt like doing the same. However River was required to change out of her very untactful alien costume, The Doctor's suggestion of course, into a more suitable outfit for the party.

"Whoever thought of Halloween is officially my least favorite person." River whined as she looked through her cupboard for something comfortable.

"Actually River, Halloween originates from Old Hallow's Eve…" The Doctor began to explain before he saw her glaring.

"If you want to sleep in our bed tonight, you're going to stop talking right now." River informed him as she pulled out a dress from the cupboard. "Now help me out of this stupid suit."

He quickly moved behind her and unzipped the suit she was wearing allowing her to slip out of the green dress and leggings. "Do you need help with your dress?" He asked cautiously as she began to pull on a burnt orange dress, one of the only dresses that seemed to fit over her small bump.

River sighed. "If you would zip me I would be forever appreciative." She admitted after a moment.

"Of course." He replied as he immediately moved behind her and pulled on the zipper, he made it about a fourth of the way up her back before the zipper stopped gliding. "Uh… River…" He said cautiously.

"Damn." She swore before turning around and allowing The Doctor to wrap his arms around her. He held her gently for several minutes before they heard an unexpected knock at the door.

"River?" Amy's voice called through the door.

River sighed. "Come in." She replied as she leaned on The Doctor's chest.

Amy quickly slipped into the room. "We have a problem." She said immediately.

"What kind of a problem?" The Doctor asked, detaching himself from River as he focused on Amy entirely.

"The Farnsworth's are here." Amy replied nervously.

"I thought they were out of town?" The Doctor questioned her as River noted, "They're almost an hour early."

"I know, they just got back in town and were dropping by to let us know they were back. Of course we invited them to stay…" Amy explained awkwardly.

River groaned. "I have nothing I can wear. And if there are already people here I can't go to the TARDIS and get something." She thought aloud as she sat down carefully on the bed, placing one palm where the baby had been kicking for the past few minutes.

"I can go…" The Doctor began to offer before Amy cut him off, knowing exactly what River was thinking.

"You can't just pop out of the apartment and go to the roof and come back with a dress." She pointed out. "Besides The TARDIS needs River's measurements to make her a dress."

"Can I just sleep?" River asked tiredly from the bed.

Amy's eyebrow's raised as she considered her question.

"Come on River." The Doctor began to whine before Amy stopped him.

"That's probably the best option." Amy admitted. "River's tired, and everyone knows that you're expecting. They won't question her needing rest. She also won't need a perception filter, or a new dress."

The Doctor pouted slightly. "You mean I have to endure these people by myself?"

"Of course not. You've got Rory and I." Amy said before moving back toward the door. "Be out in a few minutes Doctor.

"Fine." The Doctor pouted slightly as she closed the door behind herself.

River firmly pressed both of her fists into the mattress as she stood up. "Doctor can you bring me something to eat later?" She asked him sweetly as she changed into a simple cotton nightgown.

"Maybe." He teased her quietly.

River rolled her eyes. "Please?" She asked him as she placed both hands onto her stomach, knowing the guilt trip would work.

"Of course." He replied with a smile as he gently kissed her. "I'll bring you in some food in a bit."

"Thank you."

* * *

The Doctor was beyond bored. How Amy and Rory managed to live normal human lives was beyond him. He had only been at the party for twenty minutes, and it already felt like an eternity. He decided to get a plate of food and take it back to River.

After filling the plate he quietly slipped into the hallway before going into their bedroom. When he opened the door he was surprised that River wasn't in the bed. He set the plate down on the dresser before moving to the closed bathroom door and knocking on it gently.

"Doctor." River's voice could be heard faintly through the door after a moment of silence.

"Do you want me to wait or come in?" He asked after another moment of silence.

"Doctor I need you." He heard her pleading anxiously.

He immediately opened the door and saw River in the bathtub, her face showing obvious pain. "River?" He asked nervously as he moved so she could grip his hand in hers.

"I started feeling cramps and I thought a hot bath would make them go away." River began to explain before she winced and gripped onto his hand even tighter. "But they're just getting worse." She said, fear etched into her features.

The Doctor gently kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to help you get into bed and then go get your father." He said quietly, waiting for her to nod in approval before standing up and getting River's bathrobe.

Gently he helped her out of the bath and helped her into her robe. They stopped a couple of times on their way to the bed for River to grab onto him in pain. He whispered quietly into her ear that they would be fine, no matter what happened.

As soon as he had River in bed he kissed her gently on the cheek before running back to get help, praying that they would in fact, be fine.

_**Author's Note: I really want to thank everyone for all the supportive messages I got after my last post. It does mean a lot to me that people are willing to support me even though I'm sick. In other news, this may be the only update this week. I'm moving into my dorm next Monday so I've got a lot of work I have to do. I'm going to try to update as soon as possible though! Please review!**_


	18. Halloween Part II

River was lying in bed trying desperately not to cry. The pain in her abdomen was increasing at an alarming rate and she didn't know if she could survive losing this baby too.

After what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a few minutes Amy and Rory both appeared in her room along with The Doctor. "River what hurts?" Rory asked, immediately taking charge of the situation.

"It's something with the baby…" River said through gritted teeth while she held The Doctor's hands tightly between hers. She moaned as the pain continued to increase.

"River I have to examine you to see what's going on." Rory said apologetically. "Let me wash my hands." He said quickly before excusing himself to the washroom.

Amy glanced uncomfortably around the room, looking for something she could do to help. Eventually her eyes fell on the large volume _A History of The Time Lords _that was lying open on the dresser. She walked over to it and began to scan the text curiously.

Rory came back into the room and The Doctor helped him position River so he could examine her more easily.

Amy tried to ignore the painful sounds coming from behind her as she focused in more on the text in front of her.

_Month Three:_

_It is not unlikely for a Time Lady to experience extreme amounts of nausea and fatigue during this time in her pregnancy. It is important for her to remain well hydrated and well rested. The Time Lady is likely to start noticing changes in her body externally as her body prepares for the rest of her pregnancy. It is important to remember…_

Amy looked up immediately before doing some mental calculations. Her best guess was that River was about four months along so she quickly turned forward several pages until she found the 'Month Four' heading. She skimmed the pages looking for something helpful until she found an asterisk referring her to a section entitled, 'The Growth and Preparation of a Time Lord'. Amy flipped forward to the page referenced and found the place on the page that it cross-referenced. She began to read again.

_A fetal Time Lord will begin to develop its second heart during the fourth or fifth month of gestation. Once the heart has fully developed the fetus will have the ability to regenerate, thusly drastically increasing the stability of the fetus for the remainder of the pregnancy. It is suggested that excepting Time Ladies take the necessary precautions prior to this portion of fetal growth as it is often very uncomfortable, and can be incredibly painful to a mother without a large supply of regeneration energy left in her…_

Amy yelped, "Rory, Doctor!" immediately before grabbing the book and taking it to The Doctor. He read the page quickly before closing his eyes and letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. Rory also read the page, taking his time to digest all of the information it contained.

"Thank you Amy." Rory said as he quickly pressed his lips against hers.

"I'll go keep the party guests from questioning anything." She said before quickly leaving to make sure no one came to check on the four of them.

"I don't have the typical medication that would be given to lessen the symptoms." The Doctor informed Rory, sounding relieved.

River groaned again, visibly in pain. "What the hell is wrong with me?" She asked angrily as she grabbed onto the blankets as the pain continued to increase, now giving her no time to recover between waves of pain.

The Doctor immediately moved over and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Everything's fine River. The baby's developing its second heart. This means that the baby is perfectly healthy and developing normally."

River nodded as she tightened her shut eyes trying to block out the pain. "Why does it hurt this much?" She moaned, breathing heavily.

"Because you don't have a storage of regeneration energy." The Doctor admitted quietly. "Usually when a Time Lord is experiencing natural pain regeneration energy is used to block out the sensation."

River nodded again. "How long?" She asked him, her lips turning white from the pressure she was putting on them.

"Based on what I remember from my past children you're almost there." He said quietly. "River… I don't want to without your consent… but… If I gave you some…"

"No!" River hissed immediately. "You are not wasting your regeneration energy on me." She told him firmly.

"River please." The Doctor begged quietly.

River shook her head. "Doctor." She said immediately, her eyes showing how desperate she was. "I can handle pain. As long as our baby's fine."

The Doctor nodded quietly as he took River's hand in his. "I'm sorry." He apologized after several moments.

"I'm not." River said softly. She gripped his hand tightly, but she didn't seem scared anymore.

Rory had been reading more in the book about possible things to help River and he finally spoke up. "I don't think there's anything we can do River." He informed them apologetically.

River nodded as she clutched desperately to her husband's hands, trying to get as much support from him as she could. She was about to speak when she suddenly bit her lip to prevent from screaming, and drew blood.

"River." The Doctor said, sounding very concerned. River had started shaking and looked like she was going to vomit. "River what can I do?"

"You can shut your bloody mouth." River replied angrily as she tried to sit up to relieve some of the pain that was now flaming in her abdomen. The pain seemed to intensify quickly and to the point where River was cursing in every language she knew just to try to keep from screaming. Suddenly there was a huge sense of relief as she fell back onto The Doctor's lap. She was breathing heavily, but the color was returning to her face.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile. "That's a time baby." He said teasingly as he placed his hand on River's abdomen.

"Oh shut up." River replied tiredly. "So that's it?" She asked him tiredly.

"Until you actually give birth." The Doctor replied before gently pressing his lips into her hair.

River rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the head's up." She said before adjusting herself so that she was comfortable enough to try to get some sleep.

"I'm going to go help Amy out." Rory said before kissing River on the forehead. "Get some rest River."

River smiled, but didn't open her eyes to watch her father leave the room.

The Doctor watched River as she began to fall asleep, her breaths evening out and her muscles relaxing into his lap. As soon as he was sure she was asleep he put his hand gently on River's abdomen and began to move his fingertips in soothing circles, smiling each time he felt their child move.

The Doctor felt himself becoming drowsy so he took of his jacket so he could sleep more comfortably. He moved slowly as not to wake River. Once his jacket was on the floor he settled comfortably into the pillows behind him and relaxed. "Goodnight Jessica." He whispered quietly before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The Doctor woke up when he felt River get up off from his lap. He was surprised to see her sorting through a pile of clothes that had appeared overnight on the dresser.

"Good morning." The Doctor yawned as he stretched out his legs.

"Morning Sweetie." River replied as she picked out a pair of grey leggings and a loose blue blouse from the pile. "I'm assuming Amy got these?"

The Doctor shrugged as he got out of the bed. "You feeling alright?" He asked her softly as he gently held her from behind.

River smiled as she turned around so that their faces were right next to each other. "I feel wonderful." She informed him before capturing his lips between hers. He responded immediately and wrapped his arms around her to pull her body against his.

When River finally pulled back she rested her head against his chest. "I love you so much." She whispered.

The Doctor smiled as he ran his fingers through River's hair. "I love you too River." He replied.

River finally pulled away and picked up the clothes she had set down on the bed. "I've got to help out Amy." She said as she headed to the washroom.

"River you are fine." The Doctor tried to slow her down, considering what had happened the night before.

"You're right I am fine." River replied as the two of them walked into the washroom and River started the shower water so it could heat up before she showered. "So I'm taking a shower so that I smell fine as well. Currently I'm covered in sweat and I would really rather not be."

"You do look incredibly sexy covered in sweat." The Doctor teased with a smirk.

River rolled her eyes. "I hate you." She replied with a small smile.

"No you don't."

* * *

"River!" Anthony exclaimed excitedly when River and The Doctor made their way into the living room.

"Hey buddy." River greeted her brother, a smile wide on her face. "You look like you've been having a good day."

Anthony nodded as he sat down on River's lap as soon as she sat down on the large armchair in the corner of the room. "We painted pictures, and made bread, and painted the nursery…" He said excitedly.

"Which nursery would that be that you were painting?" The Doctor looked at him with confusion.

Anthony put his hands over his mouth immediately as he shook his head.

River smiled as she held Anthony in her arms. She was feeling amazingly better and she was more than ready to spend some time with her little brother. She felt terrible about how many times lately she had had to stop playing with him to get some rest because she simply didn't have the energy.

Amy came into the room with a plate of the bread they had made and a bottle of jam. "Hungry?" She asked River with a smile.

"Of course." She replied as she adjusted Anthony so he wasn't putting so much pressure on her abdomen and she accepted the piece of bread her mother offered her.

"You look a million times better River." Amy said honestly as she sat down on the sofa next to The Doctor.

"I feel that way too." River replied with a smile. "I haven't felt this well in months."

"River will you take me to the park?" Anthony asked her hopefully.

"Anthony River needs to keep resting to make sure everything's okay with the baby." Amy tried to help River out.

River shook her head. "I'd love to get out of the house." She admitted. "This little one is making me feel like I'm the size of a house and I'd really like to get out of one, get some space."

Amy smiled at her daughter. "How would you and The Doctor like to take Anthony out?" She asked finally.

"We'd love to." River said as Anthony scrambled of from her lap.

"Can we go now?" Anthony asked desperately.

"Of course!" The Doctor replied as he got up and helped Anthony put on the shoes Amy had brought him.

"I'm going to need a minute to get dressed." River said as she stood up, one hand on her back to counter the weight on her front.

"There are a few smock dresses in the cupboard in my room that you could wear." Amy offered.

"Thanks." River nodded before heading down the hallway.

Several minutes later River returned wearing a navy blue smock dress and a pair of flats.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked as he wrapped his arm so his hand was resting on the small of her back.

River nodded with a smile as she took Anthony's small hand in her own. "We'll be back Amy." River called as the trio headed out of the apartment and towards Central Park.

* * *

"Doctor can we get some candy floss?" Anthony asked him hopefully as they walked past a sidewalk vendor.

The Doctor eyed River for an answer.

"Why don't we stop somewhere on the other side of the park for lunch? Then we can get some candy floss on the way back." River suggested as she absentmindedly rubbed her abdomen.

Anthony whined for a moment before he met The Doctor's eyes which were clearly telling him not to protest. "Okay." He sighed.

River smiled before leaning down to kiss him gently on the head. "Thanks so much for being a cooperative little boy."

"I am not little." Anthony replied as they continued to walk.

River rolled her eyes. "What do you want for lunch?"

"Pizza!" Anthony replied excitedly.

River laughed. "Alright." She allowed as she tried to rub the pain out of her side from the baby kicking.

"Doctor where's the best pizza place around here?" River asked him.

"It's just down the street." The Doctor replied.

"I'm tired." Anthony began to whine.

"Well you're in luck!" The Doctor informed him as he leaned down so he could scoop him into his arms. "I think I have just the right amount of energy to carry a four year old boy to a pizza parlor."

River smiled as she watched Anthony giggle in delight as The Doctor hoisted him on to his shoulders. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to raise their own child. The Doctor had always loved children but she wasn't sure exactly how he would behave around his own.

The Doctor quickly got them seated at a table in a large pizza parlor. Anthony was sitting on one side of the booth with River while The Doctor sat across from them. They made small talk for several minutes before the waiter came over.

"What can I get you all?" The waiter asked as he pulled out a pad of paper.

"A medium cheese pizza and two waters." River replied for her and Anthony.

"A medium pizza with everything on it and a coke." The Doctor said quickly without even looking at the menu beneath him.

"No problem." He replied before going back to the kitchen.

The Doctor smiled at River for several minutes before she got fed up with him. "What?" She asked him angrily.

"You don't like pizza." The Doctor replied, trying not to laugh.

River rolled her eyes. "Yes, but your child seems to want some hot cheese pizza." She accused him immediately.

"Oh so now it's my child?" He asked her as he raised his eyebrow.

River laughed. "You are so domesticated."

"I am not!" He protested immediately.

"What's dem-est-imated?" Anthony asked, clearly confused.

"It means that The Doctor is going to be a wonderful father." River said with a smile.

The Doctor sighed, he didn't want to argue with her, they didn't need to have another row about this. To be honest he was terrified to become a father again, and he had so much baggage that River couldn't even begin to understand, even when he told her about it. Sometimes they just couldn't agree on things.

"That's a good thing right?" Anthony asked him.

The Doctor smiled. "Yes, but River's just trying to tease me."

"Teasing is mean." Anthony frowned at River.

River rolled her eyes. "The Doctor started it." She replied.

The Doctor was about to retort when the pizza arrived at their table. "Thank you." River said as she handed Anthony one of the plates the waiter had handed them and pulled a small slice of the cheese pizza and placed it on his plate.

Anthony took one bite of the pizza and all of the cheese came off from the slice and fell down onto his shirt. His lip began to quiver before River quickly helped him replace the cheese on his pizza and wipe off his face.

"Everything's fine sweetie." She said soothingly. "Everything's fine. It happens to everyone."

The Doctor watched her, a smile on his face and in his eyes. She would never really understand just how wonderful of a mother figure she was would she? She would always see herself as the woman born to kill The Doctor.

"See it's all better." River said as soon as he was taking a bite out of his pizza again.

River looked up and saw the expression on her husband's face. "What?" She asked as she took a slice of the cheese pizza for herself.

"Nothing." He replied before taking a ridiculously large bite out of his pizza.

"Doctor." River chastised him with disgust. "Manners." She reminded him as Anthony tried to take just as large of a bite. "See! How are you supposed to raise a child when you're constantly behaving like one?"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor apologized honestly.

River sighed. "I don't want to have a row over this. Just… eat your lunch." She said before returning her attention to her plate.

The three of them endured an incredibly silent lunch. After The Doctor paid the bill the Three of them began to walk back to the apartment, River seemed irritated and was unusually quiet while The Doctor talked with Anthony.

They finally came across the candy floss stand that River had promised they could stop at on the way home.

"River candy floss!" Anthony exclaimed excitedly.

River nodded as she pulled two crisp bills from her dress pocket. "Go ahead and get one for you and one for The Doctor." She told him gently

Anthony skipped ahead of the two of them and River watched him carefully as he walked up to the vendor to communicate what he wanted.

"I'm sorry River." The Doctor said quietly as they continued to walk, slowly to accommodate for River's adjustment in pace. "I've been childish about everything River. I've been trying to avoid admitting the past and how scared I am."

River shook her head. "Doctor… Don't…" She said quietly as they watched Anthony run back both hands carrying a bag of Candy Floss.

"I love you River." The Doctor said quietly as he gently grabbed onto her free hand.

She looked over at him, her eyes filled with tears. She stared directly into his eyes and saw all of the love and compassion he was feeling in them. "I know." She replied quietly. He gently kissed her on the cheek as Anthony arrived.

"Ewwww!" He exclaimed as he stuck out his tongue. River laughed as she took back the change Anthony had in his small fist. "Do you want some of my Candy Floss?" He asked her hopefully.

River smiled but shook her head. "Thanks but no thanks."

"But it's delicious!" Anthony exclaimed.

The Doctor smiled. "River doesn't like sugar that much." He explained for his wife. "She prefers things that have lots of flavor."

River smirked. He knew her like the back of his own hand. "He's right." River affirmed when she noticed Anthony's questioning glance. "Why don't you share your Candy Floss with Mum?" She suggested with a smile.

"Okay!" Anthony said excitedly before skipping ahead once again.

The Doctor smiled as he took River's hand in his. "You're going to be a wonderful mum." He said quietly as they walked after Anthony.

"I'm glad you think so." River said quietly.

The Doctor stopped and moved so he was in front of her. "No River… I know you're going to be perfect."

River smiled before gently kissing him. "I love you."

"Come on, let's go home." He replied quietly.

_**Author's Note: I've been totally slacking on packing for college… Which is horrible for me… But excellent for you because I've been writing non-stop. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please Review!**_


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